Elena's Anger
by 2serendipity
Summary: How would Elena react if she found out about Damon and Andie? And how would she react to Katherine resurfacing? ... Be warned for doppelganger hijinks!  Set post Daddy Issues, and finally coming to a conclusion...
1. Andie

**AN: Hi to all of you who are out there! This is my very first fanfic, and I'm hoping you guys like it. This little story is set post Daddy Issues.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or its characters (and, sadly enough, I also do not own Damon), I'm just happy I get to play with them! **

**I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_Damon and I were at the Grill tonight. _

_While I was talking to Sarah, Damon was sitting at the bar, staring into his tumbler of something or other. He didn't even seem to be eavesdropping on me, which was strange and not like his usual self. In fact, he seemed positively maudlin. _

_Then Jenna walked up to him with a friend of hers. She seemed vaguely familiar. I know I was rude to Sarah, but I just had to hear what they were talking about, so I listened in. Not very polite, I know, but hey, I was curious! _

_I couldn't believe that woman! She was so obviously flirting with Damon, even offering to buy him a drink. As if he needs to have his ego boosted that way! Okay, so she got what she deserved when he blew her off! And when he just walked away from her, I admit I felt… relieved? Even if him walking away like that was not really what I had expected, knowing him as I do: he's a scoundrel that way. Remember Caroline?_

_Of course, it would never do to let Damon see my relief (if that is what it was? I'm not sure), so I reproached him that he did not have to be so rude about it. But then he said that he was steering clear of all women at the moment, in the best interest of women everywhere._

_And I was glad. _

_I know it's not really a nice trait of mine, because I so do not want to be Katherine, and he deserves someone wonderful! But still, I am glad that I will not have to see him with someone else anytime soon…_

* * *

_The morning after…_

Elena drove over to the boarding house straight after the sleepover at Caroline's house. She reasoned to herself that she wanted to be sure Stefan and Damon were really alright after the werewolf attack (even if she had already seen Stefan last night, but something could have happened overnight, right?).

When she walked into the parlor, she stopped abruptly.

There were clothes strewn all over the floor next to the fireplace…

Elena felt her stomach tie in knots when she identified a dark shirt and trousers as Damon's, but there were definitely clothes there that did _not_ belong to Damon! She was just reaching down to pick up what seemed like a black scrap of lace (blushing a little when she held it in her hand and it turned out to be a part of what had once been a thong), when she heard someone come in behind her.

"Oops, I'm so sorry," said a woman's smooth, sultry voice. "I was just coming to pick those up, but it seems you beat me to it."

Elena turned slowly, the thong dangling from one finger.

She already knew who she would be seeing. Tall, leggy and blonde...

She was right. Her anger rose when she noted that a) the woman was wearing nothing but one of Damon's shirts, and b) her legs went all the way up to her armpits and beyond.

Before she could think better of it, she snapped, "I beat you to it? I don't _think_ so. Then again, I'm surprised you even made it past the front door and into the parlor! You did seem to be in a hurry to get rid of these... When was it again? Yesterday evening?"

The woman frowned at Elena's uncalled for rudeness, and raised her eyebrows, "_Excuse_ me?"

She sounded surprised, "Aren't you Jenna's niece? Jenna told me you were seeing Damon's younger brother… "

Elena squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips together. What was the matter with her? So Damon got laid. Good for him, right? It wasn't as if he needed her permission! Then why did this affect her so much? She turned on her heel to stomp out of the house before she said anything else she might regret.

Andie was still standing in the living room when understanding dawned, "Well, well," she murmured under her breath, "It seems she doesn't just want him _to be the better man_. She just wants _him_…"

Elena's angry exit was completely ruined when she bumped into the one person she did _not_ want to see at that moment. Just her luck, of course.

Not only did she _not_ want to see him, but there was entirely _too much _of him for her to see. He wore nothing but his black jeans, and those were clinging perilously, inches below his sexy hipbones…

Damon steadied her by gripping her arms before she could stumble. And then he didn't release her immediately. His thumbs gently rubbed her skin, as if he was doing it unconsciously. Elena was _very _conscious of it though. On top of that, he was standing way too close for comfort, invading her personal space as usual.

He leaned over slightly to whisper close to her ear, "Goodmorning, Sunshine! You're early today. I didn't really expect to see you here yet."

Angry at herself for shivering when his cool breath tickled her ear, she looked up into his eyes, noticing for the nth time how blue they were, and groused, "I can see that!"

She felt Damon's eyes flit over her face, and judging by the smirk on his lips, she knew he had noticed her high color and the anger in her eyes.

He drawled, "What's the matter, Elena? I'm assuming Stefan got some bruises in the fight with the werewolves last night. Did he not want you to kiss them better?"

Elena raked her eyes up and down over his sculpted chest. "It seems _you _already found someone to kiss _your _bruises better," she spat without thinking.

Damon cocked his head, "Why, Elena, I didn't know you cared!"

His eyes bored into hers as he continued, "But if you were offering to ease _my_ pain as well, then I'm sure I could find some _other _areas of my body that would greatly benefit from your... um... tender loving care..."

Elena slapped his hands away. "You wish," she snorted.

His eyebrows went up, so quickly she almost missed it, and he smiled that quirky half-smile that always made a gooey mess of her insides. "Well, of course I do," he murmured, "And secretly, so do you, of course..."

Elena ran.

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**AN: I hope Elena is not too much OOC, because she does not often seem unreasonable angry and snappy like that. I just thought that maybe she would not want to admit to herself she might be jealous of someone who got down and dirty with Damon, but instead she would get mad…. **

**I already said that this is my very first fanfic, and I would like to know what you guys think ! So please review! Pretty please!**

**Also, I am not a native speaker, so I apologize for any errors in grammar or spelling…**


	2. Katherine

**AN: First of all, thank you so much to the readers who took the time to review my little story and to all of you who have added my story to your favourites or put it on alert! **

**So I have decided to try and continue with this story, but since I'm still feeling my way through writing fanfic and I really don't have a clue where I'm going to end up, your feedback is greatly appreciated! **

**For the moment I'm still following the plot from the TV-series: after the first part of this story, Elena didn't see Damon anymore but left in a hurry for the romantic getaway we saw on TVD. This picks up right after The Houseguest (ep. 2.16). **

**BTW, I simply loved the scene where Katherine tries to get into Damon's pants, but he just tells her to get (another) room! I also thought the music and lyrics at that moment were very significant for the relationship between Damon and Katherine! **

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_Dear Diary,_

_I am angry with Damon. And this time, I'm not angry for something he did. I am actually angry for something he didn't do. Which led to something he did that I'm also angry about… I suppose I'm not making much sense to you? Well, I'm not making much sense to myself these days!_

_So, I'm very angry with Damon for not telling me that he was planning to kill Elijah. And for almost getting himself killed in the process. If I hadn't by some strange coincidence mentioned the dagger to Stefan, Damon would have executed not only his ill-advised scheme, but also himself. I might never have seen him alive (well, undead) ever again. And I don't know if I could live with that… _

_By rights I should also be angry with Stefan because he did know about Damon's plans and didn't see fit to tell me. However, I have come to expect something like that from Stefan (he's always trying to wrap me up in cotton wool like a piece of china). I never expected it from Damon though: if there's one thing I thought I could rely on, it was Damon telling me the truth. _

_But I know. I get it. He didn't tell me his plans because he knew all too well I would never have allowed him to sacrifice himself for me. Just like he didn't allow me to sacrifice myself for him a while ago. Now why does he get to do that and I don't? _

_In the end, I got to kill Elijah my way, although I'm sure I could have found a better way to kill him if they hadn't kept me out of the loop… As it was, I had to nearly kill myself to make sure Damon and Stefan would not get killed, when in fact they are dead already! My life is simply too complicated! But at least it will make them both feel so guilty they will not try to hide anything more from me in the future (I hope). _

_And finally, to make a bad day even worse, Katherine is back! _

_Apparently Elijah's compulsion keeping her in the tomb stopped working the moment he got staked. And how did I have to find out about that? I got slammed into the wall by my very own boyfriend! Stefan couldn't even tell the difference between her and me! He couldn't tell about my (frantically) beating heart, my rushing, edible (to him at least) blood, and all that jazz that makes me human? Apparently he came upon Damon and Katherine downstairs, and he got a bit confused? At least Damon was pinning the bitch to the wall instead of yours truly! _

_Anyway, she's back, and I worry that she is going to start messing with Damon's mind again. __And that he'll fall for it… _

* * *

Katherine fully intended to slam the door to Damon's room. But in the split second before the door closed with a bang, she halted its momentum. Out of the corner of her eye she had noticed a furtive movement down the hall. Surely that was Elena ducking out of sight around the corner?

Instead closing the door with a soft click, she paused for a moment, her frown erased by a slow, mischievous smile. Maybe it was time to stir up a little trouble in paradise? Mind made up, she sashayed down the hall, deliberately letting her dressing gown part to reveal the lacy black underwear she was wearing underneath…

Elena leaned against the wall, and tried to organize her thoughts that had scattered in all directions when she had seen the bitch leave Damon's bedroom. No need to panic, she tried to reason with herself. Undoubtedly there would be a very good explanation for Katherine being in Damon's room: maybe she just wanted to borrow some of the Gilbert diaries to continue her research (albeit for her own nefarious reasons)? I _could_ be something like that, right?

She heard Katherine's soft footfalls come in her direction, and scrambled to the top of the stairs, pretending she was just coming upstairs. As Katherine flounced around the corner, Elena got a good look at the state of Katherine's dress (or, more accurately, her state of undress…).

Elena's breath caught in her throat: so much for the plausible reasons Kat could have to visit Damon's room, with Elena knowing for a fact that he was there too (not that she wanted to investigate too closely on why exactly she was keeping tabs on his whereabouts).

"Hello, Elena," Katherine sounded as if she was surprised to see her. "Why are you pretending you're _not _sneaking around the house in the middle of the night?"

Elena swallowed while quickly trying to think of an acceptable excuse. After all, she could hardly admit to Katherine that she was checking up on Damon, now could she? That she was continuously worrying about him now that Katherine was shacking up with both Salvatore brothers? That that was also why she was trying to stay the night as often as she could, even to the point that tonight she had sent Caroline and Bonnie home with the excuse of not feeling well after the whole witch-incident… Stefan had been somewhat surprised when she'd arrived about an hour ago, but luckily he hadn't asked too many questions when she admitted she didn't want to leave them to Katherine's tender mercies…

"I just went downstairs for a glass of milk," she fibbed, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Couldn't sleep, Elena?" Katherine winked naughtily. "You do know there are certain _activities_ you could engage in that would make you tired enough to sleep?"

Elena narrowed her eyes. "You would know, I suppose. Must be tiresome, having to remember all those different names during bed sport, or do you just yell 'darling' at all and sundry to avoid mistakes?"

Katherine lifted one eyebrow, a mannerism that instantly reminded Elena of Damon. She frowned, annoyed at this mirror image that brought to mind the shared history between them.

"Oops, it seems I might have to apologize for waking you," Katherine smiled wickedly. "Did we get too loud? Well, you know how it is in the throes of passion: one tends to forget one's surroundings..."

Hearing what she thought was confirmation of her worst fears about what had been going on in Damon's bedroom earlier, Elena felt angry tears threatening to spill. She retorted without thinking, "You really _are_ a bitch! Damon does not deserve to be played this way! Why lead him on if you are not really interested in him? Haven't you kept him dangling long enough?"

Since it would never do to let Katherine catch her crying, she quickly brushed past Katherine and hurried down the hall, trying to get away from her as soon as possible.

But Katherine had already seen and heard more than enough. Thoughtfully she wrapped her dressing gown around her slender frame and tied the sash before leisurely starting down the stairs. "So that's the way the wind blows, is it?" She whispered to herself. "It seems my little doppelganger and I have more in common than I would have thought…"

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**AN: So, shall I let Damon catch Elena right after this scene, or not? ****Please review! **


	3. Damon

**AN: First of all, a big fluffy thank you to all of you who sent me such amazing reviews! Secondly, I was planning to update sooner, but I might post a fourth chapter later this week …**

**I saw the houseguest again before I wrote this… Don't you agree that it's an indication for the way Damon and Elena are on the same wavelength that they both used the exact same words to Katherine: I don't need your help and I don't want it (Elena at the beginning, and Damon when Kat wants to help save Elena). So I just **_**had**_** to use them in Elena's diary entry! **

**Since you voted for a D/E run-in after the Katherine incident, here goes…**

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Blinded by the angry tears filling her eyes, Elena stumbled on a wrinkle in the hallway carpet and nearly landed on her face. She knew she had let herself be goaded by Katherine into admitting certain feelings for Damon that Katherine should never have known about…

She paused on her way to Stefan's room and leaned into the nearest wall, feeling emotionally drained. She couldn't face Stefan like this! She needed to compose herself first. Frantically thinking about a place to hide for a little while, she failed to notice she was standing right opposite the door to Damon's bedroom.

When the door suddenly opened, Elena started. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her back on Damon in an attempt to hide her tear streaked face, knowing full well it would not even buy her a second. She only felt the slight breeze of cool air before Damon was standing next to her, gently pulling her away from the wall. His hand tenderly cupped her chin, tilting up her face.

"Elena?" he inquired softly, "Why are you crying?" He leaned in and softly brushed a single tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Elena opened her eyes slowly. His face was blurry through the tears trembling on her lashes, so she blinked them away. Damon was standing right in front of her, so close that they were nearly touching.

He was watching her intently, his eyes so electric blue she couldn't stand to look in them for long. His gaze made her feel too vulnerable, as if he could see right through her, all the way to the hidden truths she had been trying so hard to hide even from herself.

So she averted her eyes, looking down. All of a sudden she noticed that his hair was _mussed_, his black shirt was _unbuttoned_, revealing satiny smooth skin, and the top button of his trousers was _undone_… Her stomach turned.

Seeing him in such a state of disarray reminded her forcefully of her run-in with Katherine, and banished every last shred of hope she might still have harbored that Katherine had been lying through her teeth.

Looking up again, she put her hands on his chest (absently noting that he felt slightly cool to the touch), and shoved him away from her, hard. Then she furiously whispered at him (because waking Stefan would definitely _not_ improve the situation), "I hope it was good for you! I can't believe you gave in to her that fast!"

Damon let her push him back, surprise showing on his face. "What _are_ you going on about?"

Elena sneered, "It's no use trying to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! I _saw_ the bitch leave your room just now! It's the middle of the night, and she was hardly dressed!"

"So Katherine left my room wearing Victoria's Secret. What exactly are you accusing me of?" Understanding dawned. "You saw her and you figured… what exactly? That she got into my pants and we've been happily doing the horizontal mambo?"

The look on Elena's face confirmed his suspicions.

Damon looked disgusted. "Would you believe me if I told you I kicked her out on her ass?"

He waited, but when Elena didn't say anything, he continued wryly, "No, that's what I thought! And what if I _did _sleep with her? Or no, I'm sorry, _sleeping_ is not what has your panties in a twist, is it?"

Dismayed, he shook his head. "Anyway, what's it to you, Elena, if I wanted to screw Katherine or even the entire female population of Mystic Falls? If I remember correctly, you and my dear brother are an item until further notice. Or did I miss the memo saying otherwise?"

His words hurt all the more for being true. Elena hunched her shoulders and looked at her feet. She whispered, "But Katherine…She's just manipulating you…"

Narrowing his eyes, Damon interrupted her, "You're scared that she might make me do things you wouldn't like? You can believe me or not, but trust me, _if_ I do anything you don't like - or should I say _when_ I do, because I undoubtedly will -, it will be entirely _my own decision_."

He lifted his eyebrows mockingly, "Oh, Elena! I promise you that we're long past the stage where she can mind-fuck me into doing anything I don't want to do, whatever naughty things you imagine she might do to my body!"

Having said his piece, he sent her a last reproving look before backing into his room and slamming the door, leaving Elena to stare at it in confusion.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_Did he sleep with her or didn't he? I sure can't tell right now. And it pisses me off. A lot. _

_Katherine definitely came out of his room dressed like a streetwalker. She implied very clearly that they had sex. Do I believe Katherine? Not necessarily, because I'm pretty sure all she does is lie. Then again, when she told Damon that I was in danger back when he put her in the tomb…that turned out to be true enough! _

_Besides, I am sure Damon slept with Andie the slut, so why shouldn't he sleep with Katherine the bitch? After all, he's been after for her 150 years…like a puppy chasing his own tail. _

_Also, Damon looked as if he had dressed in a hurry, and he was kind of disheveled, like I imagine he might look like after… you know (not that I have actively imagined it really, of course not!)._

_But maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions here. He did seem a bit put out when I confronted him... So maybe he didn't sleep with her after all…_

_Then why didn't he tell me that straight out? _

_Perhaps he was mad at me for butting my nose in? Oh God, he's right! It's none of my business who he sleeps with… _

_But I just want to be his friend! And friends care about stuff like that!_

_Maybe I haven't been a good enough friend to him lately? It does seem like ages since we really talked. Maybe I have been too preoccupied with other things to see that Damon needed me, especially after Rose's death…Maybe that's why there's Andie…and Katherine…_

_I'll do better. I'll let him know I'm still his friend. A friend who wants to be there for him, to help him be the better man I know he can be._

_That's why he can't be with Katherine. _

_I really, really want her gone._

_Only yesterday I was sure Damon wanted the same thing I did. The bitch gone. As in: out of the Salvatore house, out of Mystic Falls, out of our lives... _

_She claims she wants to help. Ha! I don't __need __her help and I don't __want__ it! _

_Stefan wants to figure out why she stayed when she could have been long gone: he at least believes she's sincere in wanting to help us with Klaus. Stefan is definitely too softhearted where Katherine is concerned!_

_But I don't buy it. Oh, I don't doubt that she wants Klaus dead. And she might even help us kill him. After all, she has been on the run for half a millennium. _

_But I am sure she has an ulterior motive. Personally, I think she's just trying to lure Stefan and Damon back into her web. _

_And now … she may have succeeded with Damon. Even if he claims she cannot manipulate him anymore. But how long will he be able to resist doing what she wants, if she's already crawled into his bed after just one lousy day? _

_He really should have better taste in women…_

* * *

**AN: I don't know if this is what you guys expected, but I don't like pussy-whipped Damon (at least not all the time), so he gets a bit angry at being unfairly accused. I did want their conversation to be longer, but Damon wasn't cooperating. He was fed up and after having said his piece, he got out. And there was no coaxing him back… Sorry. **

**I encountered some difficulties writing Elena's soul searching this time, but I hope it's credible that she's also blaming herself a little, and of course she's still stubbornly insisting she only wants the best for Damon because she's his very good friend… **

**Please let me know if you liked it (=review)! **

**Next chapter will be yummy…**


	4. Italian desserts

**Disclaimer: Alas, still not owning any characters from Vampire Diaries; only the story is mine!**

**AN: Thank you immensely for your nice reviews. I'm really loving them!**

**So, an attempt at some light-hearted banter in this chapter. I hope you all know your Italian desserts… You're going to need it!**

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When Elena walked into the living room in the morning, freshly showered and dressed in her usual jeans and shirt, Stefan was looking through some books, apparently doing some more research.

He looked up when she entered, and said, "I know we should be careful believing what Katherine says, but maybe we could ask her to tell us more about Klaus? After all, she's…"

Elena's head whipped up. After last night, this was absolutely the _last_ thing she wanted to hear right now! She couldn't hide the snap in her voice when she interrupted him, "I really don't want to hear another word about Katherine! I just want her _the hell_ out of here, preferably yesterday!"

If her words came out somewhat more forcefully than she intended, well, she had _really_ meant it, cross her heart and hope to die (well, maybe not that just yet)!

When Stefan didn't say anything, she looked at him more closely. He was staring at her, taken aback by her vehement reaction.

"What?" Elena said, "I happen to see it that way: she's a bitch and she cannot be trusted. Can you blame me? What did she ever do for me? As a matter of fact, what did she ever do for you? Or for Damon?"

She couldn't help it if she sounded a bit bitter… The bitch had come back. She hadn't lost any time in getting cozy with Damon again, and now even Stefan seemed to be willing to give her a second (and third and fourth, etcetera) chance. Elena felt as if she was losing what little grip on her life she had left, and she hated it. Only now did she realize how much she had come to depend on having both Stefan and Damon looking out for her, and only for her…

"Okay," Stefan said slowly, "I _do_ see your point. I was just a little… surprised… to hear you express yourself like that. It's not something I'm used to, at least not coming from you. You're usually so … calm and kind and…"

Elena felt her irritation with Stefan rise like a rash on her skin, and she burst out, "You need to _stop_ doing that, Stefan!"

At his questioning look, she went on, "You need to stop thinking I'm like that! I'm not _that_ good and kind and selfless and caring and …"

"But you are!" Stefan was adamant. "Elena, I know you: you are compassionate, you always see the best in people! Look at _me_: you saw through the monster to the person I could be, the person I _want_ to be!"

Elena frowned. "No, Stefan, that's not who I _really_ am. I'm not as good as you like to think I am. I'm not as pure as the un-driven snow… I'm more like…" She faltered, thinking of an appropriate analogy. She didn't want to say that these days she felt more like snow that had been on the side of the road for a while, smudgy and with lots of black spatters from cars driving by…

Damon sauntered into the room, having eavesdropped on their conversation. "So, Elena, my dear brother thinks you are vanilla-ice, is that right? Hearing him say it, it's even the kind of pure virginally white vanilla-ice, without even those tiny specks of real vanilla! That's so _boring_…" She looked at him, and he winked back. Damon was obviously going to act as if last night had never happened, which suited her just fine. Relieved, she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" Stefan just _knew_ the conversation was going to turn completely inappropriate with the entrance of his brother.

Damon smirked, "I'm only offering to help you find the right analogy. You were looking for something to compare Elena to, no? Don't you think it's fitting that she be compared to a dessert? After all, you're the one who thinks she's so very _sweet_ …"

Elena shook her head. Damon just _loved_ to bait his brother! Admittedly, it was awfully funny sometimes, even if she was not acting like a loyal girlfriend by ganging up with Damon against his brother…

But she just couldn't help herself. She chuckled and said, "Well, I happen to _like_ vanilla-ice, so I wouldn't mind the comparison. Only, that's just what I was saying: that I'm not like that."

Damon turned his back on Stefan and looked straight into her eyes when he replied, "No, you're right. You're not just vanilla-ice."

He looked pensive for a moment. "I'd say you are far better suited to be … stracciatella." He dragged out the word, his Italian pronunciation perfect, and his voice was low and strangely intimate when he went on, "Creamy white vanilla-ice studded with little bits of delicious _dark_ chocolate …" He flashed her a tiny smile.

Elena giggled. Yes, that would definitely be more like it! And she _loved_ stracciatella!

Stefan was annoyed at Damon for barging in on their (very serious) conversation and for completely ruining it. "Would you stop already with the ice-analogies and get out, please? We were talking here!"

"Mmm, Stefan doesn't like to be associated with ice. Too cold, little brother? Yes, I'm sure you're plenty cold already, being a vampire." He paused, "No, no, rest assured: you are another dessert entirely. _You_ … are more like … tiramisu!" he said triumphantly.

Elena inquired, "Why tiramisu?"

Stefan frowned, certain he was not going to like Damon's explanation.

Damon waggled his eyebrows at Elena behind Stefan's back and said, "He pretends to be white all over (well, off white, at least), but when you stick your spoon deep enough, beneath the top layer of white, you get resistance and a _dark,_ _gooey mess_ of cookies and coffee and liquor!"

Stefan couldn't resist replying, 'But it tastes delicious!"

"I got you to play along then?" Damon said with a smile. "I didn't say it wasn't delicious. We are talking Italian desserts after all! I was just illustrating that you have a lot more darkness on the inside than you want the world to see, little brother! What you see is _not_ what you get."

Elena couldn't help it. She laughed out loud and teased, "Hey Damon, but the same thing can be said for _you_! I know just the dessert _you_ make me think of!"

Damon raised one eyebrow, and put his hand on his heart as if anxiously awaiting her reply, "And what might that be? You have me on tenterhooks, Elena!"

Before really thinking about what she was saying, Elena blurted out, "You're like a tartufo! You pretend you're all very dark chocolate ice, even coated with an extra layer of cocoa powder for good measure, to make absolutely sure you're all covered up. But if you put your spoon in, you discover that the inside is… undiluted white vanilla-ice!"

Damon stared at Elena, surprise clear on his face. Elena gazed back, unblinking, confirming to him that she had not meant it entirely as a joke. She really did think Damon often pretended to be the big bad more than he actually was, like when he pretended not to be upset over Rose's death.

"Okay, I've had enough of the dessert-talk. Now, I'm hungry," Stefan's words fell into the silence like pebbles in a pond. His irritation grew when Damon and Elena kept looking at each other in wordless communication.

"Elena, do you want to go to the Grill and get something to eat?" He suddenly wanted to put as much distance between his brother and his girlfriend as he possibly could.

Elena looked away from Damon first. She felt uneasy, as if she had been burrowing underneath Damon's skin, unexpectedly finding that she really liked it there. She needed to get away, so she nodded to Stefan and followed him through the door. When Elena threw a last glance over her shoulder, Damon was still standing there, motionless, a pensive look in his cerulean eyes.

Elena shivered and hurried out after Stefan.

* * *

**AN: Elena seems to run away an awful lot, I've only just noticed. Maybe I should do something about that…**

**So, I hope I pulled it off. I don't really know where this came from, it just suddenly popped into my head and flowed on the paper. Anyway, I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

**Please let me know if you liked this (which means of course: review, please!)**


	5. The bargain

**AN: Sorry, still no D/E interaction, since Katherine put her foot in. But I'll get there (I promise)! So bear with me a little longer…**

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I feel awful. No, worse than awful._

_I had a fight with Stefan at the Grill. Lately, Stefan and I seem to be doing one of two things: when we're not having sex, we're arguing… And I'm so sick of it, but I can't seem to help myself!_

_Even before we got there, I could tell Stefan wasn't very happy with me. The silent tension in the car was so thick you would have trouble cutting it, even with a knife._

_He asked me what was going on with Damon and me. When I denied any and all involvement with Damon other than friendship, he wouldn't believe me. Instead he went all jealous boyfriend on me. Somewhere in the discussion, it sort of slipped out that Damon and Katherine were getting it on together last night… _

_I thought Stefan would have been appeased by that. If Damon's with Katherine (ick!), then he should have no reason to be chasing after me, right? _

_But no! If anything, Stefan seemed even more furious. Maybe he too thinks this is none of my business… _

_So I expressed my anxiety over the fact that Damon's back in Katherine's clutches, and my fear that she might send him off the deep end (again, I might add, since the last time she was around, Damon sort of killed my brother). And… we rolled straight into another argument. _

_Well, essentially we just continued the argument we started this morning. The one about maybe giving Katherine another chance? About her honestly wanting to help us, because we all want the same thing. (Do we really?) About needing her information and knowledge._

_I'm starting to feel a bit uneasy about Stefan's sudden and insistent defense of Katherine. He seems too willing to forgive and forget… which makes me wonder if he ever really forgot about her…? He never did explain to me why he held on to her picture after all this time…? And I'm starting to question what exactly happened when they were both locked in the tomb…?_

_Last time we had a fight at the Grill, we faked it for Katherine's sake. She was trying to drive us apart then, but I knew we were stronger than that. _

_This time we didn't have to fake a fight. Katherine is driving us apart without even trying… And I'm not so sure we can stand the pressure this time around!_

* * *

After dinner with Jenna and Jeremy that night, Elena trudged up the stairs to her room. It hardly felt like her room anymore: she had been spending so much time at the Salvatore's with all the impending Klaus-related doom… And also, she added to herself in a bout of honesty, because of Katherine hanging around, even if Elena was no longer sure who she needed (wanted?) to protect the most, Damon or Stefan?

Upon entering her room, she was definitely not happy to find Katherine reclining on her bed. But what really made Elena's hackles rise, was the fact that Katherine was _reading her diary_!

Katherine looked up and smirked, "Finally she shows! I've been waiting long enough. I was almost tempted to start looking for a snack!"

She lifted her eyebrows, knowing full well Elena would understand what she was talking about. "But I'm trying not to indulge between meals, and I simply couldn't tear myself away from this interesting reading you left me..."

"Why are you here?" Elena asked curtly. "And what are you doing with my diary?"

"Tsk, so inhospitable you are. Don't forget I'm a part of your very dysfunctional family," Katherine replied, twirling her curls with one finger.

"As to your diary, I simply couldn't resist the temptation of reading all of those very human thoughts and feelings…" She paused, and nodded towards one open page of Elena's diary, "And you're absolutely right of course."

Elena knew she should just tell Katherine to take a hike, but as so often lately, curiosity got the better of her. If there was actually something she and Katherine could agree on, it must be a cold day in hell!

So while she knew she was definitely going to regret it, she heard herself say, "Okay, I'll play. What am I right about?"

Katherine smiled like a cat that got the cream, but strangely enough, she refrained from any snide comments. Smart girl. But then anyone would be after living for 500 and score years, no? She just said, "You're right in having your doubts about Stefan. I suppose he told you he never really loved me? That I compelled his love?"

Elena didn't reply. But Katherine nodded as if this was all the confirmation she needed.

"I thought so. You should know it's not true though. I never compelled his love. I wouldn't have wanted to. He genuinely fell in love with me, and he got there _all by himself_, without any help from me. And it just so happens that I fell in love with him too."

"Then why does he hate you now, Katherine? That's got to be as far from loving a person as you can get!" Elena sounded disbelieving.

"Oh, Elena, you've only lived for a measly 18 human years, but you'll learn yet! Or maybe you're already starting to learn…?" She glanced down at Elena's diary as if looking for confirmation. "Love, hate… there's such a fine line between them… opposite sides of the same coin… never so close together as when they're most strongly felt."

Katherine shook her head as if she were commiserating with Elena. "It's like a classic two-dime novel: hate is usually not the _end_ of a love story; it's only the _beginning_… So if Stefan professes to hate me, he still feels _something_ for me. Call it hate, call it love, it's all the same to me. I just need to get him to admit it."

Elena looked doubtful. "If he still feels something for you, then why is he with me?"

"Did you never wonder why you and Stefan got together in the first place? Do you _honestly _think that that has nothing to do with me? You can keep deluding yourself, Elena, but I know that he came back to Mystic Falls to fall in love with me _all over again_…" Katherine smiled smugly. "Besides, I seem to be preaching to the choir here, since _even you_ don't believe Stefan when he claims to hate me. The proof of that is right here," She tapped Elena's diary with one long perfectly manicured nail, "But I don't think you really want to see the truth…"

She got up from the bed, and mused, "It's ironic, really, how you can be so _right_ about one brother and so _wrong_ about the other one…"

Elena frowned. Was Katherine implying that she was wrong about _Damon_? She filed that thought away for later, because Katherine continued, "But that's neither here nor there. I wonder if you really know all there is to know about Stefan? Did he tell you about his sordid past? Take the dust off all those skeletons in his closet?"

Elena thought about all those times when Stefan hadn't told her the truth unless he was forced to, either by her, or by Damon, or simply by circumstances catching up with him…

So, on closer inspection, Stefan's words about how there would be no lies between them, were beginning to sound quite hollow, even if they were only lies by omission.

But Elena wasn't about to admit that to Katherine. "That's all water under the bridge, Katherine. It's old news. He's changed. I know he has. _That _Stefan… He doesn't exist anymore!"

"Oh, he still exists all right," Katherine turned to look at Elena in the mirror. "A leopard can't change his spots. _That _Stefan is simply buried somewhere underneath the façade of a bunny-eating, wannabe-human, school-going paragon of virtue!"

"And you would have me believe that you _love_ him? Are you even capable of the emotion?" Elena took her diary from where Katherine had left it on the bed, and hugged it to her body.

"Of course I love him. I always did. What _you_ dislike is just what makes _me_ love him all the more: the dark side of him draws me in, however deep he tries to hide it. It was always Stefan for me; it was never Damon. Damon may be dark on the outside, but his evil streak only runs skin deep. Stefan's just the opposite: he excels at hiding his darkness beneath a layer just as superficial," Katherine seemed to take pride in that, because she smiled fondly.

Elena was suddenly reminded of her own dessert-analogy for Damon. It seemed that she and Katherine were also agreeing about _that_… It must really be starting to snow in hell!

"You might like to think Stefan is the stuff fairytales are made of, but after all this time, even _you_ should have realized that he truly isn't the proverbial white knight! Even disregarding the past, please don't tell me he never ever kept the truth from you, about anything?"

Elena knew the answer to that question was written very clearly on her face. In her mind a memory surfaced of the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant: Stefan had never intended to tell her about his lapse in bloodlust; it was Damon who had finally told her the ugly truth...

Katherine did not miss the expression flitting across Elena's face. "So you see," she concluded triumphantly, "He's essentially the same Stefan he ever was."

Elena was vigorously shaking her head. She could feel her reference frame slowly disintegrating, her world falling apart in slow motion like a house of cards, one level after another. She just _knew_ that Katherine must somehow be manipulating her, but when one put everything together like that… Had she really been that gullible? Or was Katherine the puppet master, expertly pulling her strings?

"I see you still don't believe me," Katherine sounded disappointed. "There's only one thing for it then. You'll have to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Why don't you try being _me_ for a chance and wrench the truth out of him yourself?"

Elena narrowed her eyes incredulously. At the same time she was angry at herself for immediately grasping Katherine's meaning. Still, she needed to hear it said out loud, so she grumbled, "What are you saying, Katherine? Do you honestly think I want to play at being you? I'm nothing like you. Besides, Stefan will certainly notice it's me. He was never fooled for long when you tried to impersonate me, remember?"

"It seems you have already forgotten our most recent case of mistaken identity! Anyway, Stefan may be wary of _me_ impersonating you, but he'll never suspect _you_ of trying to double-cross him. Don't tell me he thinks you're even capable of such duplicity! You've always been such a goody-two-shoes, he'll not suspect a thing! If he is _made_ to see Katherine, then that's what he _will_ see."

She twirled around and sat down again. Crossing her knees elegantly, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and said, "So, how about we make a deal, my little doppelganger? I'll even up the stakes for you… If you do this, and we find out he simply couldn't care less about me, I will leave Mystic Falls immediately, never to return. If, however, you find out that he still feels something, anything, for me, then I get to stay, and you'll have to give me a fair fighting chance to win him back."

Elena hesitated. Why was she even considering this? It was simply out of the question!

"Oh, come on, Elena," Katherine taunted, "You simply can't lose! Either I will still be here, but at least you will know where you stand. I'm even offering to take him off your hands! _Or _you make sure I get out of your hair permanently - which I'm sure is your dearest wish - , and you can live happily ever after in your very own _ménage-a-trois_ with both Stefan _and_ Damon."

Katherine smirked, "After all, if you're so _awfully_ sure about your precious Stefan, there's only one possible outcome, isn't there?"

As if Elena had already said yes to her absurd plan, Katherine cautioned, "So, I'll be in the house to make sure you keep your end of the bargain, and you don't go all tattle-tale on me to Stefan. There's just one caveat though: don't go having sex with him while you're posing as me."

Elena gasped, but Katherine continued blithely, "You might not like to make the acquaintance of the rougher side of Stefan if you let it get that far out of hand..."

Elena sputtered indignantly. Katherine wanted to get the last word though, "Just so you know. A woman warned and all that. So, do we have a deal?"

And so, Elena agreed. Hell would most definitely be frozen over by now…

* * *

**AN: Now if you're wondering why Katherine didn't taunt Elena about her feelings for Damon… I think Katherine is smarter than that! She's convinced Elena will not confess (or even admit to herself) that she has any feelings for Damon other than friendship while she and Stefan are still an item… so sowing some serious doubts about Stefan is first and foremost on Kat's agenda!**

**So let me know what you think! Do you want Elena to go through with it?**


	6. Facing reality

****

**AN: I didn't feel like writing Stefan/Elena, so you get this instead… **

**

* * *

**

_Dear Diary,_

_At the risk of repeating myself, I want Katherine to leave. She's messing with everybody's mind now, including mine. _

_I hardly recognize myself anymore! I'm afraid of turning into Katherine… because when did I become someone capable of coolly deciding to deceive the love of her life? _

_But I'm determined I'm not going to be Katherine! I am actually doing this to make sure Stefan remains just that: the love of __my__ life, not Katherine's. _

_Because I don't want to love someone who doesn't love me truly, madly, deeply in return. I want to be loved because of who I am, not because of who I look like!_

_But it will never come to that. I am sure Stefan will prove to be true to his love (well, if he doesn't just see through the charade immediately)… _

_Added bonus: we get rid of Katherine once and for all! _

_That would be best, for both Damon and Stefan. Not to mention for me: I don't exactly relish running into my evil twin at every turn. _

_It's best for Damon, because she can make him do things he no longer wants to do. He's better than that, now. Because I keep asking him to. Now she's taking him away from me, when he needs me to be a better man._

_And it's best for Stefan, because she's making me doubt my own lover. She's making me think Stefan doesn't really love me. She wants me to believe I don't know him, and that he only fell in love with me because of her. But that's not true.  
Or is it? See? I rest my case! _

_So what it all comes down to, is that Katherine needs to leave. It's the reason I agreed to play her game. _

_I don't think I'll get another chance to get her out of my hair permanently. I'll make her see Stefan doesn't care about her anymore, and she'll leave. Or so she said, but strangely, I believe her in this. It's not like I feel any sympathy for her, but I've got the feeling she really loves him, even if it's a one-sided love. It would almost make me feel sorry for her if she wasn't poaching in my woods! _

_It's tricky, really. I don't want to be Katherine, not even for a little while. But to get her to leave, I shall have to be Katherine for a little while at least. So I've curled my hair, and put on something resembling her clothes (since she's not so much a jeans and sneakers girl, unlike me). At the bottom of my closet, I've even found some of those killer-heels Katherine seems partial to when she's not impersonating little old me. _

_When I finally looked in the mirror, I nearly freaked out. I found Katherine looking back at me! It was almost enough to make me reconsider this whole wretched affair… _

_But I will go through with it, because it's all for a good cause. And then things can go back to the way they used to be…_

_And that's what I really want! Isn't it?_

_

* * *

_

Some time later...

Elena stumbled on the inches-high heels and cursed them while trying to get out of the house and in her car as quickly as possible. She wasn't crying. Yet.

She was fumbling in her bag trying to locate her car keys and not really noticing where she was going, so it came as no surprise when she bumped into Caroline. When Elena looked up, Caroline did a double take and said uncertainly: "Katherine?"

Elena put a finger to her lips, signaling Caroline to be quiet, and beckoned her to follow her outside. Hesitantly Caroline followed Elena to her car, but then she stopped and defiantly said: "Katherine, I'm not going anywhere with you. What are you doing with Elena's car? And where _is_ Elena?"

"_I am Elena_!" Elena furiously whispered to Caroline. "I'm getting out of here, and I _really_ need someone to talk to, so you might as well come along for the ride. So would you please get in the car already!"

Caroline opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it. She shrugged her shoulders and slid into Elena's car on the passenger side. Elena tore out of the driveway as if trying to escape her worst nightmare. And maybe she was…

Elena was silent while driving. But she was driving so fast that Caroline couldn't help but comment on it. "Say, Elena, aren't you speeding a bit much? If you're going to crash, it's no skin off _my_ nose, because hey, already dead here. But you're not, so…?"

Elena slowed down, and finally stopped by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. She got out of the car and started walking, so Caroline did the same. When they happened upon a fallen tree trunk that seemed to be lying there as an invitation to sit down, they did.

Caroline hesitated a few seconds, but then she asked, "So, Elena, are you going to tell me what's going on here? You're acting mighty strange… And what's up with the fancy dress party? I thought you were _Katherine_…"

Elena moved awkwardly on the tree trunk, trying to find the words to explain this unfortunate turn of events. "Caroline, promise me you'll keep this to yourself?"

At Caroline's affirmative nod, she went on, "Stefan and I… We've been at odds lately about whether or not we can trust Katherine, or even believe a word that comes out of her mouth. So I went to see Stefan, to see how he really felt about her. And I still can't believe it! Caroline, _he kissed me_!"

Caroline looked confused, "Um, Elena, I know I'm clueless sometimes, but … isn't he _supposed_ to kiss you, being your boyfriend and all?"

"You don't understand!" Elena was sobbing now, reality finally catching up with her, "He thought I was _her_!"

"What? Stefan mistook you for _Katherine_? And he _kissed_ you, thinking you were _Katherine_?" Caroline was desperately trying to make sense of what Elena was telling her, while searching through her bag for a tissue.

"Yes! But it was my fault for making him think I was her!" Elena wailed, grabbing the proffered tissue. "See these stupid clothes and this stupid hair?"

Caroline gasped. "You mean… you _deliberately_ tried to fool Stefan into thinking you were Katherine? Why would you do that?"

"I wish I knew…" Elena sniffed, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "At first I was so convinced he would know it was me… and then he wasn't, but it didn't worry me too much, because he would just tell me he didn't love me, well, Katherine, but that he loved _me_… I mean, that he loved Elena, … Oh, God! And now I've messed up everything! Now she's going to stay, because she surely heard everything! And I…I was only trying to get her to leave, so it would just be the three of us together again…"

Caroline shook her head. "Elena," she said, "I'm sorry, but you've lost me completely."

So Elena pulled herself together and tried to make sense of her rambling thoughts. She told Caroline about her conversation with Katherine, and about Katherine's proposition that she would leave if Elena could prove that Stefan didn't feel anything for her anymore, if he ever did.

"But I gather from your distress that it didn't quite work out that way?" Caroline wanted to know.

"No, it _really_ didn't. I said I would never believe he didn't feel anything for me (me being Katherine), and he got angry. Said he told me so a hundred times already, and could I give him a break? So we were bickering, when he suddenly grabbed me and crushed me to him so tightly I thought my bones would crack. Then he kissed me…." She sniffed and closed her eyes, her voice rising in pitch, "But Caroline, he's never kissed _me_ like that, never! He's always so gentle with me, so careful. Maybe it's because he feels he could hurt me, being a vampire and all, but this? This was _not_ careful, _not_ tender, _not _gentle at all! It was … I don't know… fire, passion, pain, regret, … I would know it was _real_ if a man ever kissed me like _that_…"

"Are you absolutely sure he didn't know it was you?" Caroline felt she needed to be certain of that.

Elena sighed, rubbing her cheeks because her drying tears were beginning to itch, "Yes, I'm sure. When I pulled back and ran out, he called after me. And he didn't call for Elena, he called for Katherine, so I'm quite sure he _never_ knew it was me."

"But Elena, why in heaven's name did you do it? The whole dressing-up-to-play-Katherine thing? How did she convince you to do it?" Caroline couldn't help but wonder.

"I was so sure Stefan was going to see through my disguise, or if he didn't, I was certain he would deny having any feelings for her. It seemed like such a good opportunity to get rid of her, since she had promised to leave Mystic Falls forever if that was the case. And I've been wanting her gone so badly I would've done _anything_ for that. Only now… it seems I've lost them both..." Elena was staring off in the distance, her fingers slowly shredding the tissue. "I suppose it makes sense really. After all, I'm only the doppelganger, while she's the real thing. I can't compete with that…"

"Wait, what do you mean you've lost them _both_? I thought you said this was about Stefan?" Caroline was afraid she already knew the answer, but asked the question anyway.

"One of the reasons I wanted her gone so badly, is that I'm afraid she's already snared Damon." Elena whispered.

"How do you know that? Did she tell you so? Because I really don't think you should put too much faith in what she says…" Caroline hurriedly started looking for another tissue when she saw Elena's eyes tearing up again.

"I saw her! She came out of his room. It was the middle of the night, and she wasn't wearing any clothes…" Elena was crying again, not the angry rushing torrent from before, but a steady stream of silent tears dripping on the hands she kept folded in her lap. She didn't even try to wipe the tears away.

Desperately Caroline tried to lighten the mood. "You mean she was _naked_?"

Elena never even cracked a smile. She just answered sadly, "No, she was wearing a matching set of black lacy underwear and a sort of robe. So I'm guessing she wasn't just paying a social call. Besides she confirmed it, and Damon didn't deny it afterwards."

Caroline blinked. Definitely too much information! What _had_ Elena gotten herself into? This strange kind of threesome Elena seemed to have going with both Salvatore brothers had always weirded her out. Nevertheless Caroline felt herself going where she really hadn't wanted to go. "Damon didn't deny it? You asked him then?"

Elena fidgeted when she thought about it, "Well, I suppose he didn't exactly confirm or deny it. He just asked me if I would believe that he'd kicked her out on her ass. Which I didn't. Then he got a bit angry at me and said it was none of my business anyway…"

He's certainly right about that, Caroline thought to herself, reluctantly finding herself agreeing with Damon on this. After all, Elena was still Stefan's girl… Or wasn't she?

Maybe it was time to start reconsidering the positions of the players on the board? Caroline wasn't blind: lately the couple-dynamics between Stefan and Elena and Damon seemed to have changed somewhat, even if it still looked the same on the outside… but maybe Elena was too much part of it to see that? Caroline found she was entertaining an absurd idea…

"So, Elena, you're not really sure then, about Damon's … defection to the enemy camp, shall we say? It's possible he really did kick her out on her ass, no?" Caroline decided to test the waters before jumping in.

"I suppose so," Elena said, but she didn't sound very convinced.

"Hadn't you better make absolutely sure then? About how he feels towards Katherine, I mean? If Stefan finds out about that stunt you've pulled by letting him think you were Katherine, and him blatantly failing the test, you're going to need all the allies you can get…"

Elena lifted her head and looked sharply at Caroline. "Are you really suggesting what I think you are suggesting? If so, you can just forget about it. I'm not doing this again!"

* * *

**AN: So what do you think? Of course I know Elena would never do this. I just got intrigued by the idea of Elena impersonating Katherine instead of the other way around like it's always on the show… Do you like Caroline's suggestion at all? Please let me know what you think!**


	7. Duplicity

**AN: Thanks ever so much for taking the time to**** review! Everybody seemed to like Caroline's suggestion (goes without saying IMO) so finally: Damon/Elena… only not really!**

* * *

Elena stumbled when she got out of the car. Stupid heels! She had completely forgotten that she was still wearing Katherine's shoes, as well as Katherine's clothes and Katherine's hair. Oh, well.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to talk to Stefan tonight?" Caroline sounded slightly worried.

"Yes, or I'm gonna lose my nerve. You made sure I have enough liquid courage now," Elena and Caroline had been doing shots at the Grill after their heart to heart, although to be fair, Caroline had had nearly twice as much and hardly felt anything! Elena was just slightly more than tipsy, not enough to be drunk, but enough for the pain of Stefan's behavior to have dulled just a little bit, and more importantly, enough to feel sufficiently daring to confront Stefan about it tonight.

"And you definitely don't want me to stick around?"

"No, Caroline, I'm sure I'll be fine. What's he gonna do after all? Bite me?" Elena giggled (that was a lame joke, but it was funnier now than it was supposed to be… must be the liquor talking), "Really, Caroline, I'll be okay. I'll text you later!" Elena waved and walked into the Salvatore house, not even that unsteady (if she said so herself).

She was about to bypass the parlor when she saw Damon sitting there, staring into the fire, the inevitable tumbler of bourbon held loosely between his fingers. He turned his head slightly when she paused in the doorway. She leaned her hip against the doorframe to balance herself. Nope, not unsteady at all!

"Where is Stefan?" Elena asked. Better take the bull by the horns now… or the vampire by the fangs? She smiled to herself: another lame joke. The alcohol must be getting to her after all…

"Hello to you too, Katherine." Damon said sarcastically.

He turned his back to her again and resumed his contemplation of the fire. "Mystic Falls' most wanted just left the building. He's out culling the ferocious rabbit and squirrel population hereabouts. Which should leave you plenty of time to prepare for his return."

Elena froze as soon as he started talking, thoughts spinning through her head. Of course! Why _wouldn't_ Damon think she was Katherine? After all, Stefan hadn't suspected a thing...

Afterwards she would blame it all on the tequila… But at the time it felt like fate handed her the _perfect _opportunity to find out how Damon really felt about Katherine… And hadn't Caroline said something about making sure of Damon's feelings? Well, no time like the present…

So instead of going upstairs like a good girl, she turned into the parlor, casually stopping by Damon's liquor supply and pouring herself a drink. That's what Katherine might do, right? Besides, she needed it. Why on earth was she more nervous now than she had been this afternoon?

"Why would I want to prepare for his return? You are here…. I'm your houseguest, so … entertain me? I know you know how to show a girl a good time… Hmm?" Elena turned coquettishly towards Damon and batted her eyelashes at him.

In a flash Damon was standing before her. "What do you want, Katherine?"

Elena suppressed a shiver at his sudden nearness. His fierce blue gaze unbalanced her for a moment, forcing her to look elsewhere. His hair looked a mess, as if he had been raking his hands through it. His shirt was half unbuttoned, showing her a tempting glimpse of smooth skin, and she just couldn't resist … What the hell, she was Katherine! And Katherine wouldn't resist…

So she touched one finger at the base of his throat and let it slide lower… and lower… until her wandering finger was stopped by Damon's hand grabbing hers.

Elena was surprised to see that Damon was suddenly holding a stake. He drew the stake slowly over her breastbone and positioned it at the top of her cleavage. "Last chance, Katherine. What do you want? And don't lie to me! Because if you do, this stake here might have your name on it…"

He brought his face very close to hers and narrowed his eyes, "You know, I could solve _all_ of your problems…" and he concluded in a lascivious whisper, "… with a_ single thrust_…"

Abruptly he slashed the stake downwards, efficiently ripping all the buttons off her shirt.

Elena gasped and retreated a step, bumping into the table. She wasn't _really_ afraid though. If Damon hadn't staked Katherine yet, he wasn't going to now…

So _be Katherine_! She thought to herself. You can do it. Hell, even Stefan bought it, and he should know Elena much better than Damon did…

She pouted, and leaned her hands onto the table behind her. Her now button-less shirt fell open, revealing black lacy underwear. She bit her lip when she saw Damon's eyes reflexively dip lower, and murmured, "Oh, come on, Damon! We both know you're _not_ gonna stake me..." She let her voice drop and lifted one eyebrow, "At least not with _that_ stake…"

Damon's eyes widened slightly.

Wasn't this fun, Elena thought to herself. She wasn't actually being _Elena_, so she might as well indulge in something she had wanted to do for a _long_ time, but had never permitted herself. She relaxed the firm hold she always kept on herself around Damon… and gave in to temptation…

She let her eyes deliberately roam his body. Yum. Licking her lips, she playfully undid another button on his shirt, and said (surprised to hear herself sound slightly breathless), "Do you _really_ need to ask me what I want?"

God, could Katherine possibly _be_ any more pathetic? Damon thought, surprised. He'd assumed she'd gotten the message after her last failed attempt at seducing him… He'd never figured her that much of a sucker for rejection… Unless… an unlikely idea occurred to him…

Since Elena wasn't looking at Damon's face, she didn't notice his sudden frown… He bent his head slightly towards her neck, slowly and deliberately inhaling her scent. The frown vanished.

An amused smile curved his lips.

So, darling Elena thought to trick him, did she?

Why would she want to make him think she was Katherine? Damon was puzzled for a moment. Until he remembered their conversation (or rather his monologue) from late last night... He put A and B together and realized she must be trying to find out if he'd really slept with Katherine… which meant she hadn't believed him when he'd said he'd thrown Katherine out on her (admittedly very shapely) ass…

Maybe it was time for a little payback… Two could play this game, after all… Let's see how far Elena was willing to take her imitation of Katherine… Besides, he figured he was due some fun. He'd been on his best behavior lately, all for Elena, and all he got in return from her was disbelief? She really should know him better by now!

So he dropped the stake. Trailing his hands down her body, he drawled, "So… I suppose you want to continue where we left off last night, do you? You'll have to refresh my memory, _Katherine_…"

Elena wondered briefly if she had imagined the emphasis on the name, but the thought flew right out of her head when he suddenly backed her into the table and pushed his body in between her legs.

His fingers started stroking her cheek and lingered on her neck, lightly tracing a vein. His lips soon followed his fingers, leaving a wet trail of kisses on her skin. His soft breath cooled the burning sensation when he whispered close to her ear, "Tell me, _Katherine_. Did we do this?" Elena shivered in pleasure.

Damon felt it, and smiled against her throat. He held her body flush to his with one hand to her back, rubbing in lazy circles, while his other hand slowly slid downward. He ran his knuckles along the edge of her bra, then his finger dipped under the lace. "Are you _sure_ we did this, _Katherine_? Shall I go on?" He murmured, his low voice vibrating against her throat. Elena sighed, a tiny sound of approval.

God, this felt _so good_… Elena thought, closing her eyes. She was going to have to stop him… and she would… in a minute! Surely it couldn't hurt to enjoy this …just a moment longer. Her hands slid up to his neck of their own volition, and she twined her fingers into his hair.

Damon was wondering how far she was going to take this… He'd been so sure she'd never play the game along this far, convinced as he'd been that she would put a stop to it as soon as he began taking liberties with her…

But it seemed she wasn't going to stop him just yet… or maybe… not at all?

He wanted to kiss her more than anything, so he bent his head to hers, and lightly, tentatively touched his lips to hers. Then his tongue traced the seam of her lips, teasing her. A tremor ran through Elena, but to his surprise she didn't stop him. She just opened her eyes, focusing firmly on _him_, and deliberately opened her lips to allow him in. So he accepted her invitation, and deepened the kiss. And she tasted … just like he'd known she would… absolutely amazing…

The kiss had the effect of a spark on dry timber: the flames between them leaped high, and soon the fire raged out of control. Elena moaned and grabbed Damon's shirt to pull him even closer. Heat was burning her up from the inside out. She was lost to the world… drowning in a haze of heady sensations… making her more drunk on his kisses than any alcohol could…

Damon was getting desperate. He wanted nothing more than to explore this further, but he refused to let her think she was still fooling him. He didn't want something as momentous as this to happen under false pretenses. Elena had to come to him because she genuinely wanted to be with him, not as the result of some prank that got out of hand…

Cursing his own inconvenient principles (the very ones he didn't _have_ a year ago, when he wouldn't have hesitated to accept what she was so clearly offering), Damon pulled away from Elena, eliciting a disappointed sound from her before she could stop herself.

"Don't you think this has gone far enough, _Elena_?" Damon asked very quietly.

His soft words hit Elena like a bucket of ice water. She resurfaced with a jolt from the passionate onslaught on her senses, her eyes flying open in surprise. What had just happened? She felt a flush rising in her cheeks when flashes of her recent behavior intruded on her mind… God, what had gotten into her just now…? That was … What _was_ that?

Wait! Something was wrong here…

Suddenly she remembered exactly what she was doing there. Her eyes went wide and she blurted out, "How did _you_ know it was me?" Then she winced. She hadn't meant to be so obvious, and of course Damon immediately picked up on it: "You mean that Stefan didn't?", he asked incredulously. "You pulled this stunt with Stefan too? Why?"

"If I did, it's none of your business." Elena tried to deflect his question by repeating her own. "Seriously, how did you know?"

"Since you made such a _concerted_ effort to find out what you wanted to know, I suppose you've earned the answer…" Damon smiled self-deprecatingly, and Elena blushed. Did he think she'd been trying to seduce him to get the answers she wanted? Well, maybe she had, at first, but he could hardly think she'd been faking her response to him! She was forced to admit that she had forgotten all about her reasons for making out with him as soon as he laid hands on her… _God_, what was she going to do _now_?

She forced her attention back to Damon.

"You could have spared yourself the trouble and your blushes, if only you'd believed me when I told you I threw Katherine out on her ass." At Elena's frown, he added, "Yes, Elena, she did come on to me, but I'm through with her, and about time too! Why do you and Stefan find that so hard to believe?"

Maybe Stefan finds it hard to believe because he's definitely not through with her, Elena thought desperately, but what she said was, "Maybe because it took you the better part of 150 years to try and rescue her? You're awfully quick to get over her now that you have finally found her..."

"It seems I was chasing rainbows as usual… " Damon said wistfully, absently brushing Elena's hair away from her face in a curiously tender gesture… "Only… when I found the end of this rainbow, the proverbial pot of gold that's supposed to be there turned out to be just an empty tin can. Shiny from a distance, but up close it wasn't what I wanted at all…"

His eyes softened and he looked straight at her. The look in his eyes gave her a funny feeling, as if her stomach was doing somersaults. "It took me a 150 years to find what I _really_ wanted, Elena… but you made it abundantly clear I might as well be reaching for the moon…"

Elena opened her mouth, but no sound came. She had no clue how to answer him, especially after what had just happened… and then she didn't have to, because he put one finger to her lips...

And froze when the front door opened…

* * *

**AN: For those of you who wondered why Damon knew for sure it was Elena after sniffing her neck: I remembered Elijah doing the same to confirm Elena's identity. I imagine ****vampires have to concentrate on a scent to be absolutely sure of it, otherwise Stefan and Damon would never have confused Katherine with Elena on the show, which they have done more than once… I thought it would just not be plausible that he would magically know it was Elena… but I like to think he figured it out rather quickly!**

**Also, I found the cuddly scenes weren't all that easy to write… hope they seem natural enough...**

**So did you like how this turned out? Please let me know! And who's the mystery person about to walk in on our favourite couple? **


	8. Confrontation

**AN: Once more a big fluffy thanks to all of you who sent me such amazing reviews about the last chapter! I love you guys! **

**Also I want to thank the wonderful Shadowfaxangel, who is going to be editing and beta-ing and generally helping me to avoid any and all stupid mistakes from now on! Only she'll be going on a short break now for her honeymoon and I wish her the very best! May all of your dreams come true…**

* * *

"Katherine, Damon… I hope I'm not intruding?" Stefan walked into the parlour, sounding rather venomous. After all, this afternoon, Katherine had been kissing _him_, proclaiming she wanted him and only him, and now she seemed to be awfully cosy with Damon… It was like 1864 all over again!

He noticed Katherine jumping away from Damon at the sound of his voice. Strange… she must have heard him come in…? And whatever was the matter with her shirt? There didn't seem to be any buttons on it…

The thought vanished from his head when he walked into the parlour and picked up a whiff of something …

"Where is Elena?" Stefan rounded on Damon, "What did you do to her?"

Elena was hurriedly trying to restore some order to her clothing (which was not easy since she couldn't button her shirt), but she looked up in surprise at the fury in Stefan's voice.

"What makes you think he did anything to Elena?" she asked. Why did Stefan seem so angry at Damon all of a sudden? And over her, of all things, when he himself had been kissing Katherine (_or so he thought_, she added in her mind) only this afternoon!

Damon closed his eyes for a moment. Then he shook his head at Elena, as if warning her, and murmured, "You don't want to go there, sweetpea. Believe me." Elena noticed that Damon intentionally didn't use any names, leaving it up to her to decide if she wanted to reveal herself to Stefan or not.

But Stefan didn't relent. Elena just felt a passing breeze when Stefan flashed up to Damon, slamming him into the wall with brute force. "Why does it smell like Elena in here?" He snarled to Damon. "And don't act coy, brother. You know what I mean. Your nose is as good as mine!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Elena interjected, rather heavy on the sarcasm. She saw Damon shaking his head at her again, but she ploughed on regardless, not caring anymore that she would reveal herself now. She was angry, and therefore prepared to throw caution to the wind. "You didn't seem to recognise me at all this afternoon! And now all of a sudden you _do_?"

"What?" Surprised, Stefan let go of Damon, who dropped down to his feet and straightened his shirt.

"Yes, I am _Elena_. I'm _not_ Katherine. But you got a little confused this afternoon, and not for the first time…"

"But…" Stefan frowned, looking stunned. Elena saw the wheels turning in his head, and knew the exact moment the pieces clicked into place…

Then he pulled himself together and glared at Elena, clearly deciding on attack as his preferred form of defence. "I recognised your scent, _Elena_, because it's a lot stronger when you're sexually aroused… which you obviously _weren't_ this afternoon, if that was you as well... But now you are most definitely aroused… and it's clearly none of my doing! And I don't see anyone else in here, so it must be _my brother_ who's gotten you all hot and bothered… Anyone care to explain how _that_ happened?"

Elena was mortified, and felt herself flushing beetroot red. What an inconvenient time to be reminded of the sharpness of a vampire's olfactory senses! Mortification quickly turned to anger though. "Oh, that's a good one!" She lashed out, "_I_ need to explain myself? You're forgetting I caught you in the act of kissing Katherine only this afternoon!"

"You tricked me! And I was kissing _you_!" Stefan defended himself with the courage of despair.

"You didn't _know_ you were kissing me! For all intents and purposes you were kissing _Katherine_!" Elena retorted.

Then she took a step backwards, because Stefan's eyes suddenly turned red and his fangs descended. In a flash Damon was standing before Elena, effectively blocking Stefan from reaching her.

They all looked up when someone started clapping slowly.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive…" Katherine drawled when she appeared in the doorway, "_W__ho_'s been kissing me? My memory must be faulty, because _I _don't remember kissing _anyone_ lately… but not for lack of _trying_!"

A huge smile on her face, she walked into the room, "Oops, it seems I've walked straight into one of Shakespeare's drama's… or maybe it's a comedy of errors…?"

Nobody said anything, but the tension in the room went up another notch.

Katherine looked from one to the other and drew her own conclusions. "My, my, Elena… _You_'ve certainly been busy! Kudos to you…I didn't think you had it in you, playing them both like that! You really are a Pierce! Look at you, having all the fun…while pretending to be me! It's so unfair!" She pouted. Then she smiled, a wicked smile, "So, care to share, or are you going to keep them both to yourself?"

"Haven't you done enough already?" Stefan burst out. Katherine seemed to have connected all the dots too quickly for her not to know what was going on… She must have put Elena up to it. This whole mess fit Katherine's devious MO to a tee. She always got other people to do her dirty work! And she must've gotten to Elena… thus driving his sweet Elena straight into Damon's arms…

"Me? I haven't done anything." Katherine replied easily, adding under her breath, "More's the pity!"

She paused by the liquor and poured herself a glass. Then she turned, and leaned against the table, unconsciously mirroring Elena's pose from earlier. Elena felt herself blushing when she remembered what had happened afterwards…

Katherine noticed, and smirked knowingly. "It looks like it's dear Elena that has been getting all the action around here… So, tell me, Elena, now that you're the leading lady, who's gonna get the part of your leading man, hmm? It's up to you to decide whether this will end in a Greek tragedy or in a happy ending…"

"Katherine, what's up with all the theatre references? I think the Oscar for best actress has already gone to Elena, and you've been written out of the script. So take your cue and exit stage left, please!" Damon was fed up with Katherine stirring the hornet's nest. It was definitely something she excelled at, but he wouldn't allow her to do it at Elena's expense!

"Oh, no! I'm simply loving my front row seats for this one! I'm staying!" Katherine was having a marvellous time. She had underestimated that little twit Elena's capacities for wreaking havoc in the Salvatore household… Now if only she could play this right…

"Would you all just stop this… this bickering! You know what? I'll stop this myself! I'm getting out of here!" Elena was irritated, angry and embarrassed, … all at the same time. She needed to get away _now_. She needed time to think... When she saw Damon make a move to follow her, she snapped, "And I'll thank you not to follow me, please!"

Elena dashed out of the room, leaving Damon and Stefan at Katherine's not so tender mercy.

Katherine sauntered over to Stefan, and provocatively dragged a fingernail over his shirt. She looked up at him from under her lashes and drawled, "So, Stefan, have you been a _naughty boy_? You have been kissing me, it seems… only it wasn't me, was it? It was Elena… That's tough luck for you, because _I _wouldn't kiss and tell!"

Stefan pushed her up against the wall in a flash, holding her there with his elbow on her neck, and snarled, "You put her up to this, didn't you? Admit it!"

"Of course I did," Katherine pushed him away easily and rearranged her clothing. She snorted contemptuously, "She'd never have thought of it on her own! Because she's such a dear sweet girl…"

Then she turned abruptly to where Damon stood, silently observing their interaction with a cynical twist to his mouth. He knew she would get to him next…

"Only… maybe not such a _sweet_ girl after all? I certainly didn't put her up to _that_! I'd never thought she'd have the guts to try it with you too! But that's exactly what she did, isn't it, Damon?" Katherine was clearly enjoying her moral high ground.

Damon smirked in response. "She _tried_ it, yes."

Katherine laughed as if she was pleasantly surprised. "So you were _on_ to her! And you still played along? Ooh, another naughty boy!"

"How do you know _he_ wasn't fooled by Elena's deception? _You_ have fooled him in the past!" Stefan was incredulous, reluctant to believe that Damon would have succeeded where he had failed miserably.

Katherine looked at Stefan, and there was compassion in her eyes when she said, "Your brother and your girlfriend seemed to be having a lot of … _fun_ …together just now. And I can personally attest to the fact that Damon doesn't want to have that particular kind of _fun_ with me anymore… but apparently he does with _your_ girl, Stefan. Or isn't she your girl anymore?"

Stefan's eyes widened. He spat a curse, and fled from the room.

"Happy now?" Damon shook his head at Katherine, and walked out.

* * *

**AN: ****So, I hope you liked it! Let me know if you did… Pretty please?**

**For those who should be wondering, the quote about the tangled web that Katherine uses as her entry line, is by Sir Walter Scott (from ****'Marmion').**


	9. Revelations

**AN: Thank you for the nice reviews everyone! And a very special thanks to kjewls for her absolutely amazing in depth reviews! I simply LOVE them! I also love your TVD-blog at TV recappers anonymous... **

**Also thanks to DreamToAspire for the suggestion of having Katherine visit Elena's room once more (Well, I know you said Katherine or Damon, but Katherine it is) … so here goes!**

* * *

_Dear Diary, _

_What am I going to do? _

_How could I have been so completely clueless? I have been so wrong…about so many things!_

_I have been so wrong about Stefan. _

_About his feelings for Katherine… and maybe about his feelings for me? I feel like I don't know anything anymore…_

_It seems like ages ago that I decided I would get Katherine to leave by showing her that Stefan didn't feel anything for her anymore… only, did I play my part too well? … I don't think he ever gave in to her before this… Just my luck it would be now that he would break! Otherwise I might not even have known about it… and I wanted to know, didn't I? I think so. I think I don't want to live a lie… That's in part why I did it, only I never expected it to turn out this way…. He was supposed to send her on her merry way, not kiss her like as if there was no tomorrow… I don't even want to think about that kiss… Only now that I know… where do we go from here? How can we ever go back to the way we used to be?_

_Do I even want to go back?_

_Aye, there's the rub… (argh, and now I'm quoting Shakespeare! See what she's done to me?) _

_I have been wrong about Damon too. _

_He told me he didn't sleep with Katherine and I didn't believe him… I'm the worst kind of friend! He's been trying so hard lately to be the better man I wanted him to be… and even when he did that, I chose not to believe him; I had to take Katherine's word over his… God, how could I? I owe him an apology…for that if for nothing else… _

_And now for the worst part… the part I really don't want to face… the part I don't know how to face…_

_I have been totally and utterly wrong about myself… _

_I told Damon time and again that I didn't have any feelings for him… only he's proven me well and truly wrong! The way he made me feel… I always told myself Damon was just my friend… And that may have been true in the beginning, although if I'm completely honest with myself I've always felt some special connection to him… That's why I was always afraid to let him get too close… because somewhere along the way, that friendship has turned into something more… something I think I want to explore… _

_But it also scares the hell out of me... _

_So that's the endgame. I have become my own worst enemy… I have become Katherine... I don't want to lose Stefan, and it seems I want Damon too… _

_What am I going to do? _

* * *

Elena was lying face down on her bed. She was physically and mentally exhausted, her eyes red and swollen from crying. And still she had the feeling that not all of her tears had been spent...

What she had written in her diary didn't even scratch the surface... but she didn't know how to put words to what she really felt... How she felt angry by Stefan's betrayal, but maybe not as devastated as she should have been... How Damon's kisses had left her reeling, but also craving more ... How she felt as if she were flotsam on the waves of her own emotions, elated and excited one moment, unhappy and insecure the next...

What on earth was she going to do?

She must have fallen asleep, because she woke up when she heard a soft click. She lifted her head off her pillow and turned it towards the window. Sure enough, a very unwanted visitor had come to visit... although she had been expecting this sooner or later.

"My God, Elena, you look like something the cat dragged in ... don't let anyone see you like this! I will _never_ live it down!" Katherine, of course it was Katherine, commented dryly.

"Katherine." Elena couldn't even summon the energy to be annoyed with Katherine. She said wearily, "Haven't you done enough to stir up trouble? Or did you come to gloat? Maybe you want to twist the knife again by telling me you were right about Stefan all along? Don't you think I've been torturing myself enough with that by now?"

"No, Elena," Katherine hesitated a fraction of a second, "Actually, I wanted to ask you not to judge Stefan too harshly when next you see him," she seemed a bit subdued, not her usual snarky self.

"Are you _serious_?" Elena couldn't quite believe her own ears. "Why would I spare his feelings? He didn't really spare mine, did he? First he cheats on me by kissing you (never mind that it was in fact me he kissed)... Then he practically accuses me of being a _slut_! That's the pot calling the kettle black, I'd say!"

"Look, Elena..." Elena hadn't thought she'd see the day that Katherine was lost for words, "You must understand that he's always been very good at deluding himself... That's why he has been living nearly a 150 years with this firm idea in his head that he hated me when he actually didn't. Only... now that you have forced the issue... You can't blame him for fighting it like a newly caged tiger... even though I'm _sure_ he'll get around to accepting the truth of it in the end!" She finished with some of her regular bite.

"And I'm supposed to feel _sorry_ for him now?" Elena sounded disbelieving.

"No, Elena. But it's a lot to deal with. And then, to cap it all, there's the fact that you're gonna ditch him _either way_. And that there's nothing he can do about it."

"That's what _you_ say! Who says Stefan and I can't get through this? We've had our differences before. Maybe we just need some time!" Elena was grasping at straws, and besides, she didn't want to give Katherine the satisfaction of seeing her own misgivings.

Katherine was clearly getting irritated with the way Elena clung to the security blanket that was her relationship with Stefan. Didn't the girl see that it was over and done with? As flat and un-bubbly as yesterday's Coke? Apparently not...

Katherine deemed it time for some frank talking. "I'm just gonna call it like I see it, Elena. Since you're talking about pots and kettles, doesn't your own behavior merit some introspection? You don't think_ you'_re gonna come out of this smelling of roses, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Elena wasn't about to admit to anything.

Katherine looked at Elena mockingly, "Well, I wasn't in the room with you of course, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened there... "

Elena raised both eyebrows, feigning ignorance.

Katherine smiled condescendingly, and said, "If you insist, I'll tell you what I think happened, but I'm warning you: you shouldn't try to play me for a fool!"

Cocking her head, she observed Elena like a cat looks at a mouse: to be played with first, but eventually to devour without any remorse... "You tried to trick Damon just like you did Stefan, only _he_ wasn't fooled, not this time... And things got a little out of hand, didn't they? Your shirt torn, a rosy flush in your cheeks, ... "

Katherine smirked, "Either Damon didn't take no for an answer (and you're not gonna make me believe _that_),_ or_... you were enjoying the pleasure of a serious make-out session with him... I know which option I'd go with ... " She lifted one eyebrow, "Did you get a little carried away perhaps?"

Elena blushed furiously but didn't answer, so Katherine went on blandly, "Of course, I know how the saying goes: once you go dead, no one's better in bed... but I don't think that's all there is to it in this case..."

She paused for a moment, "There's no denying that Damon knows what he's doing in that department, but somehow I think there's more to your current predicament than you being overwhelmed by his prowess at kissing and biting... " She looked at Elena, intently gauging her reaction.

Elena had gone even redder in the face. In fact, she felt the blush spreading over her entire body. Her throat constricted with embarrassment, but she managed to croak, "He didn't bite me!"

"_Yet_..." Katherine said with a sly smile. If that was _all_ the girl was going to deny, she was spot on the mark! Three cheers for her powers of observation..."You wanna know what I think? I think that Stefan's not the only one who hasn't been completely honest about his feelings here... I think _you_ need to do some serious soul searching yourself!"

Elena knew where Katherine was headed with this: to get Stefan, she'd first need to get Elena out of the way... "You're not exactly a non-biased observer here, right, Katherine? After all, you stand to gain something from this. You think Stefan will come running to you if we split up? Is that what you want?"

"Of course that's what I _want_! You know it and I know it." Katherine smiled, amused at Elena's obvious attempt at changing the topic. So she changed it right back, "But we are not talking about _me_. I've never denied loving Stefan. You're the one who thinks denial (the Nile) is only a river in Egypt..."

Elena didn't want to dig any further into her feelings for Damon before she had time to figure them out for herself. "I never said I didn't care about Damon! I do! He's my friend!"

"And of course you're so tuned in to all of your _friends_ that you want to jump their bones and that you devour them with your eyes when you think no one's watching? You must be the most popular girl in school!"

"I don't do that!" Elena was getting angry now.

"So you've never looked at Damon and wondered ... what it would be like with him?" Katherine wanted to know.

"Absolutely not!" Elena answered, furtively crossing her fingers behind her back.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks ... You've never been angry or jealous when you walked in on some woman wearing hardly anything in the morning, and you just _knew_ where she had spent the night? You've never secretly wanted to be in their place?"

Elena's mind provided her unbidden with a slide show of the last few months, of Rose opening the door to her in the morning, of walking unexpectedly in on Andie, of bumping into Katherine the other night... She closed her eyes, but shook her head, while her own mind was screaming, LIAR, LIAR!

Still, she insisted, "I just worry about him because he's my friend. I don't want to see him get hurt!"

Katherine shook her head in exasperation, and said sarcastically, "Elena, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're as blind as Lady Luck if you think he's '_just your friend'_. Nobody is _that_ possessive of '_just a friend'_ as you are of Damon..." The quote marks were clearly audible in Katherine's voice.

"You don't want to see him get hurt? The irony of it is that _you_ are in fact the one that is hurting him the most, just by being here. Can't you imagine what it must be like for him? Seeing you smooching with his brother right in front of his nose, hearing the moans and sighs when you and Stefan are making love at night, ... If you've driven the poor man to drink, it's no wonder!"

"Just stop it!" Elena interrupted Katherine. "That's _not_ true. I know Damon considers me his friend too!"

"You think? Then you are even blinder than I thought. And I'm sure that you aren't! I think you know _very well _what he feels for you... and secretly you enjoy it. You _like_ having them both at your beck and call, don't you? Beware Elena, I already told you that we have more in common than you think..." Having read Elena's diary, Katherine knew that there was nothing that frightened Elena more than becoming her own worst nightmare, aka Katherine Pierce...

"Dammit Katherine, I'm not like you!" Elena spat. But she cringed inside... because wasn't that just what she had been telling herself?

"Are you quite sure about that? Because there's only one way to prove that you're not like me: you're going to have to make a choice between them..." Katherine went for the kill, "So, Elena, this is where you decide who'll get to play your lover, and who'll get the unenviable part of just being your friend... either way one of them is going to get hurt, and you know it. Only... if you make the wrong choice this time, you're going to get hurt as well… So think long and hard: is Stefan still the one you want?"

Elena bent her head and remained silent. Up until yesterday she would have been able to answer that question unequivocally with a yes... but yesterday she'd thought that Stefan was the love of her life, and she of his... and what had seemed so right before, now felt wrong somehow...

And kissing Damon had felt _so good _...She hadn't known that anything could even feel that good...The look in his eyes when he said that it had taken him a 150 years to find what he wanted... just thinking about it turned her insides to jelly! That should have been wrong, but it felt so right! ... What was she going to do?

When she looked up again, she saw the curtains flutter in the breeze. The window was open, and Katherine was gone as if she'd never been there...

* * *

**AN: okay, so I'm not sure what got into Katherine in the beginning: could be she had a bit of a lover's tiff with Stefan, or maybe it was something (someone?) she ate... but she was a bit sappy… Anyway, she seemed to turn more into her usual self after a while... if she wasn't a figment of Elena's imagination, that is…**

**Now, do you want me to get straight to the point after this, or shall I insert some Damon/Elena cuddling first? Please let me know, and I'll see what I can do!**

**Just to give everyone his/her due… The saying Katherine refers to (once you go dead etc.), is by Jeaniene Frost, author of the Night Huntress books. Katherine's quote (the lady doth protest…) as well as Elena's quote in her diary (there's the rub) are from Hamlet. And Lady Luck refers to the Roman goddess ****Fortuna who was the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck. She was often represented as veiled and blind, as in modern depictions of Justice, and used to represent life's capriciousness…I'm sure Katherine is well acquainted with this one ;)**

**BTW the next chapter might take a little longer to post, since it isn't finished yet, but I might post the possible first chapter of another story. It involves Damon and Elena (of course) and dancing... Yes, I know that sounds like the synopsis of the next episode of TVD, but I swear that the first chapter was already written before I ever saw any promo's ... So again, read and let me know if you like the idea... Thanks!**

**So sorry for the long note…**


	10. Blue

**AN: sorry for the long wait this time… I just wasn't sure where to go with this… Hope you like it anyway! **

**Thank you, Shadowfaxangel, for reading and commenting so quickly (and while you're still honeymooning…;)**

* * *

When Damon walked into the Salvatore house, he found Elena sitting in the parlor, in the exact same place that was his favorite spot. She was holding a tumbler of bourbon, and by the looks of her, it wasn't her first… She looked moody and pensive, as if she didn't much like her own thoughts.

He dropped onto the couch at the other end. "Elena? Why are you guzzling my bourbon like it's going out of fashion? If you keep it up, I'm gonna have to start charging you for it, you know..."

At first, Elena didn't give any indication that she had heard him. She didn't even look up…

She had gone looking for Damon's private stock of bourbon because she had wanted to block out the torrent of feelings that had been surging through her in constant waves since yesterday. After downing enough of the heavy stuff to make her slightly (no, make that very) dizzy, she decided in a moment of lucidity that it didn't seem to be working at all! So much for the numbing effect of alcohol! She was just as muddled inside as she had been before…

Now there was just room for one thought in her head: she needed to apologize to Damon for not believing him about Katherine. But the copious amount of bourbon she'd consumed got in the way of the speech she had been rehearsing, which got condensed into just a few words, "Damon, I'm sorry!"

Well, that was a gracious apology! Time to stop drinking! She put the tumbler down on the edge of the side table next to her, nearly missing the table entirely.

Damon looked her over carefully. Just like he'd thought… totally wasted … He was afraid she wouldn't make much sense to herself at this point, let alone to him, but he asked her anyway, "And what is it exactly that you are apologizing for?"

When she looked as if she didn't remember exactly what she had been saying, he said more gently, "Is there anything I can help you with, Elena?"

Elena looked at him then and was surprised to find her perception of Damon seemed to have subtly _shifted_ since yesterday…

She had been reliving yesterday's events in her head (more than once, if she was completely honest), and finally she had come to the conclusion she must have been imagining things. It couldn't _really_ have felt that good when Damon … did those things to her, could it?

Then, following Katherine's visit (had that even been real? She was seriously starting to doubt her own sanity…), she had been chastising herself for making such a godforsaken mess of everything… she never should've listened to Katherine in the first place! She had tricked Stefan and she had tricked Damon (never mind if it hadn't exactly worked as planned in either case)… and now she felt so bad, horrified at her own behavior, terrified that she was becoming her own worst enemy, aka Katherine Pierce. She desperately wanted to feel good again…

And so her thoughts had come full circle… Wondering if it had really been as good as she remembered? That didn't seem possible… but suppose it was…? Only one way to find out, she told herself… and since Damon was apparently offering…

So she answered Damon's question with a breathless, "Yes, I'm quite sure you _can_ help me…"

Before she could reconsider what she was doing, she crawled over to the other end of the couch, to where Damon was sitting. She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him backwards. Surprise delayed his reaction, and before he knew what happened, she was straddling him, her knees on either side of his lean hips, hovering over him.

When Elena lowered her head, her hair came tumbling down, enclosing their faces in an intimate, dark cocoon. She unerringly found his lips with her mouth, and kissed him hungrily. Their tongues met… he tasted _so good_… The world started spinning faster and faster… spinning out of control…

His hands had come up to grab her hips, neither of them knowing if it was to pull her closer or to push her away … but her camisole had ridden up with her movements, and his hands connected with warm bare skin. He groaned and held on tight, his thumbs stroking her flesh right above the waistband of her jeans. Elena discovered his reaction excited her even more…

Deep down Damon knew he should probably stop her, as he was the only one sober enough to realize how this was bound to end… but he pushed the thought away for the moment. She felt deliciously warm and pliant in his arms, and he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth… Surely indulging in a few stolen kisses would do no harm?

As Elena came up for air, he started kissing her jaw line, and then his lips slid down her throat, covering her skin with openmouthed kisses that sent chills down her spine. God, she thought with her last coherent thought, I am so _screwed_… if anything, it felt even _better_ than her memories…

But it wasn't nearly enough. She wanted to touch him badly, so she leaned on one elbow and let her right hand trail down his chest until she came to the hem of his shirt. Her hand slipped underneath. As soon as her fingertips caressed his stomach, his abs tightened in response. She sighed delightedly, and let her hand roam his chest, reveling in the sensation of steel muscles flexing under soft skin…

She closed her eyes and let her mouth claim his again, nibbling on his bottom lip with her blunt teeth. Damon moaned, and heat spiraled through Elena's body. Damon's hand trailed upwards, barely touching, but her skin registered it as a trail of fire. He cupped one of her breasts, his thumb grazing her through her camisole and bra. Elena whimpered, feeling the echo of his touch somewhere else entirely… She arched her back and pushed down on him, grinding herself against his hardness, to create the friction she now desperately craved. Her movements were becoming more urgent…

… when suddenly she found herself on her back, Damon suspended above her, leaning his forehead against hers. For someone who didn't need any breath, he was breathing heavily. She tried to pull him back where she wanted him and lifted her head for his kiss, but he resisted.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that his were squeezed tightly shut while he tried to gain control of himself. "Damon?" she sighed in a plaintive tone of voice.

"However much I would love for us to do this," Damon said hoarsely, " I can't, Elena." He paused and opened his eyes to look down at her, his blue eyes burning into hers. Then a flash of amusement lit his eyes, and glancing down to where their bodies touched, he said ruefully, "Well, obviously I _can_, but I won't. And _you _won't either."

A flush of shame coloured Elena's cheeks, and she felt quite sober all of a sudden. She wasn't as certain as Damon seemed to be that she would've stopped at all… Even now, her body didn't want to listen to reason, and was urging her to pull him back and ravish him… She lowered her eyes, unable withstand his piercing blue gaze any longer.

Damon stroked her hair while he went on, "You and I both know it's too late for that now, Elena. Last year I would've stolen my brother's girl without any remorse. Hell, I even would have found pleasure in it! After all, I did promise him an eternity of misery. But not any more…"

Damon lifted her chin with one finger to get her to look at him, but Elena's eyes kept darting away from him. Tears of humiliation were burning in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I'm closer to my brother now than I've been in a 150 years. So I won't take you from him. I'll not repeat the same mistake that made us into vampires…I'm better than that now..." When he said that, Elena's eyes focused on his face. She pondered the irony that he was now using her own words against her…

He lifted an eyebrow as if he knew what she was thinking, and smiled down at her. It was a heart-rending smile. "It's your own fault, really. You've been pushing me to be a better man… You should be happy that some of your barbs have hit home at last!"

Elena wasn't sure she understood what he was saying. "So you're refusing me? You don't want to be with me?" She breathed, so quietly that he wouldn't have been able to hear her if he hadn't been a vampire.

Damon put his hands on either side of her face, so she couldn't look away from him when he said, "God, Elena, of course I'm not refusing you. I want you more than anything in this world or any other… more than anything I've ever wanted… but not at my brother's expense. Not anymore. He doesn't deserve that. You'll need to make a choice here. Because, like I said, I'm not repeating the mistake I made with…" He didn't say the name, but Elena mentally added it anyway. "And you're not her, so you can't be with both of us at the same time…"

Elena wasn't so sure about that. It was not like she had wanted it to happen. She had been happy with Stefan; she was sure she loved Stefan… So why did she have to fall for his brother? She had been fighting the attraction tooth and nail for a long time now. But she just couldn't do it anymore. She felt like she was skiing down a steep slope, going faster and faster, before suddenly remembering she hadn't yet learned how to stop safely… the crash was inevitable…

There was no stopping the tears now. Big, fat tears started trickling down her cheeks. Damon sat up, and pulled her up with him. He slid off the sofa and kneeled before her, his thumbs gently wiping the tears away, but they kept coming…

"Elena, why did you do it? Making me think you were Katherine, I mean," Damon asked quietly. It was so unlike Elena to do something like that… and he couldn't help but wonder… and hope?

Elena was looking down at her own hands dejectedly. She didn't dare look up into Damon's eyes for fear they would see clear into her soul… and she didn't know if she could bear for him to see her shame… she had so much to be ashamed of… "I needed to be sure about you," she whispered. "After what happened with Stefan… I needed to make sure I hadn't lost you too…because I couldn't bear to lose you…"

"Elena, what exactly happened with Stefan?"

He kissed her as if she was … everything he could ever want… everything he would ever need …, Elena thought. He kissed her as if she was his life …

Stefan had kissed Katherine… the way Damon had kissed her…

* * *

**AN: So sorry for (another) untimely interruption…! I'm just trying to stay within the Teen rating, of course…**

**So, did you like it? I'd love to hear what you think… I simply adore those reviews!**


	11. Betrayal

**AN: Finally, the next chapter of Elena's anger, but I'm afraid I'm gonna leave all you Damon&Elena lovers hanging a little bit more… Since I left Damon and Elena deeply gazing into each other's eyes, and went to sneak a peek in Stefan's room… What happened there managed to surprise even me! I hope you're still liking this story though! **

**Remember that Stefan is still under the misapprehension that it was Damon who came on to Elena while she was pretending to be Katherine…**

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Stefan was sitting on his bed, wearing only his jeans, his face buried in his hands. He rubbed his eyes. How had it come to this? Here he was, hiding out in his own room… Hiding from his brother, hiding from Katherine and most of all, hiding from his own girlfriend…

He was hiding from Elena because he was afraid to face her. He feared the disillusionment he would see in her eyes after the kiss that had been so much more than a kiss… the kiss that had betrayed him… that had told Elena all about his repressed feelings for Katherine… It was a betrayal he felt in his heart… a betrayal that had allowed his brother to slip past Elena's defenses at last…

He was also hiding from Elena because he was scared of himself if he were to face her now … scared of what he might do if … no, _when_ he got angry … because vampires were nothing if not territorial, and she had definitely crossed a line… with his own brother, his depraved older brother… Anger at Elena's infidelity bubbled beneath the surface, even if what had happened wasn't so much her own fault as it _must_ be Damon's … for seducing Elena when she was vulnerable…

It was what he'd been afraid of for quite some time now… ever since he'd known about Damon's true feelings for her… He had been expecting Damon to try and put the moves on Elena, and now Katherine's ploy had made it so easy for Damon to offer consolation to his devastated girlfriend like a good brother would, and then to take it further!

Only his motives weren't that honorable, were they? Stefan knew that Damon had wanted Elena for himself for a long time now, and it seemed she had finally given in to him… Well, it wasn't _that _mindboggling, really… Damon had always been a lady-killer, capable of smooth-talking his way into the affections of any woman he chose (ironically, apart from Katherine, the only woman he had ever really wanted before Elena…)!

So where did that leave him and Elena? What did it mean for their relationship? Could she ever forgive him? Could he ever forgive her? Did he even want to?

He groaned and rubbed his eyes again. Why did they feel as if tears were burning behind them? He hadn't cried in as long as he could remember…

A slight sound at the door made him look up. He realized he should have gone to the woods, because he really didn't feel like he could face anybody right now. Katherine poked her head in, and quickly followed with the rest of her. Or was it Elena again? Stefan eyed her warily.

"Which one are you?" He asked, just to be on the safe side. He wasn't going to be played for a fool _again_!

Katherine pursed her lips, "_Please_, Stefan! Can't you _tell_? It's me, the one who loves you more than you deserve…"

Stefan frowned, and said, "Katherine!"

Katherine smiled slightly, eyeing his bare chest with barely concealed desire, "Right on the first try, my love. Now why would you expect Elena? I've a feeling that she might still be somewhat _angry_ with you…"

Stefan shrugged, and Katherine's eyes avidly watched the muscles rippling under his tattooed skin. He had quite a well-built body for a seventeen-year old, she mused, and almost missed Stefan saying resignedly, "That's exactly why I was expecting her. I _know_ her. She's going to want to _talk_ to me about all of this…"

Katherine was silent for a moment. Then a look of compassion snuck into her eyes, and she said quietly, "I don't think you should expect Elena to be looking for you at the moment…"

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked, a hint of premonition sneaking up on him.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Katherine didn't know why she wanted to spare Stefan's feelings when she should be rubbing his nose in! It was just that when she'd come in he'd been looking so lost, so dejected, that she wanted to go easy on him…

Stefan looked determined and slightly angry, "_Yes_! If you know something, you might as well tell me. Isn't that what you came to do anyway? Rub my nose in?"

Unconsciously, he repeated her own thoughts, and she decided to tell him, because she didn't think he saw the whole picture yet. "Okay then, but don't stake the messenger! Elena is otherwise occupied at the moment… she's _consoling_ herself with Damon…"

Stefan jumped up and made for the door, "Damon! What's he doing now? I should think he has done enough already!"

Katherine stopped Stefan from rushing out by putting a hand against his chest, but Stefan pushed back hard, snarling, "Let me go, Katherine! Even if Elena and I are on the outs for the moment, I still owe it to her to protect her from Damon's unwanted advances!"

Katherine effectively blocked Stefan's exit by standing in front of the door. Impatiently she told him, "That's where you're wrong, Stefan! The way I saw it, she didn't need any protection because the advances weren't exactly _unwanted_… unless it was on _Damon's_ side, since it was _Elena_ who was trying her best to seduce _him_…"

Stefan slammed Katherine against the door. "You're lying, Katherine! Elena would never do that!"

Katherine allowed Stefan to push her up against the door, his elbow on her throat. That look of compassion was in her eyes again, although it was mixed with a little contempt this time … for Elena? Or for him?

Katherine sighed and said, "Stefan, how can you be so _blind_? Didn't you notice that your girlfriend has been falling in love with your brother right under your nose?"

"You're wrong! She doesn't love him! He might love _her_ but she's always just wanted to be his friend!" Stefan said desperately.

Katherine shook her head, "Oh, my poor delusional Stefan! I accused Elena of clinging to you as her security blanket, but now there's you too! You really want to tell me that you never noticed those lingering looks they keep casting at each other when they think no one's watching?"

"No…" Stefan's arm slowly slid away from Katherine's throat, and he let her slide down. "_Damon_ is in love with _her_, I know that. I know that's why he stays … because he wants to save her!"

Katherine stayed where she was, right in front of Stefan. She took his head between her hands when he tried to turn away from her, and said softly, "Just like _she_ wants to save _him_, Stefan! And not just _his life_… although I know she did that too several times, even if _you_ don't. She wants to _really_ save him, make him a better man!"

Stefan pulled away from Katherine abruptly. He groaned as if in agony, and slammed his fist into the wall. Hard. Little bits of plaster rained down on Katherine's head, and stuck in her hair.

Deep down, Stefan knew that Katherine was right… Elena was in love with his brother… Elena was making out with his brother _right now_… He'd been so sure that it would never be Elena who would initiate something like that; that it would always be Damon. It was just not like her… But things were different if she really was in love with Damon…

Admittedly he had been all too aware of her growing attraction for Damon, but he didn't think she'd ever acknowledge those feelings to herself. He had been expecting Damon to try and seduce Elena, but Damon hadn't even had to do that, had he? Because Elena had come to him all by herself… and in the end it was all Stefan's own fault! He had made just one fatal mistake… one single kiss bestowed on the wrong girl! And he knew exactly where to place the blame for that…

He turned back towards Katherine, fangs descending and veins popping out underneath his eyes. The fully extended fangs gave him a slight lisp when he growled at Katherine, "This is all _your_ fault! If you hadn't put her up to that stupid game of pretending to be you, this would _never_ have happened! You're going to _pay_ for this!"

Katherine's eyes widened for a second, but then she smiled victoriously, and said in a low voice, "Oh, _yes_, Stefan! You should _definitely_ make me pay! I can take it… and we both know where it's going to end!" She cast a furtive look at the bed…

* * *

**AN: So, I think you can all see quite clearly what's going to go down here… but Katherine and Stefan didn't feel like waiting for me to leave! So here's my question: I actually wrote the sequel to this scene, but it will mean bumping up the rating of this story to M… Do you want it or not? Please let me know… ;)**


	12. Infidelity

**AN: Well, you sure didn't make it easy on me, dear readers! **

**Some of you wanted the whole nine yards, while some asked me not to change the rating to M… So there I was, not knowing what to do… until my fantastic beta suggested editing the original scene to fit the T-rating of the story. That is the 'light'-version you can read below, and I hope the 'watering down' doesn't show too much… **

**For those readers who want some more 'naughtiness': don't worry! I posted the original _unabridged_ version of this scene as a separate M-rated one-shot, titled _Infidelity_ (just like this chapter). Just look it up by clicking on my penname (because there won't be any alerts of course, and I can't insert a link here) and enjoy!**

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Stefan growled wordlessly and pushed Katherine roughly up against the door. She moaned in response, and threw her head to the side, exposing her throat in a gesture of submission.

Stefan twisted his hands in her dark curls and pulled her head even further aside, holding her immobile. Then he bent his head and his cool tongue licked a wet trail from her collarbone all the way up to her throat, his fangs scraping her skin. Katherine shivered, her hands sliding feverishly over his biceps and up to the well-defined muscles in his shoulders, grateful that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

She panted when his fangs unexpectedly nicked the skin of her throat, drawing blood. Stefan licked the small drops of blood from her skin with his tongue. When he started eagerly sucking the tiny wounds, Katherine raked her nails over his back, feeling the muscles there tense like cords in response.

Stefan groaned, reaching between them for the hem of her shirt. He pulled it up and off in a single movement. She laughed in delight as she arched against him, going on tiptoe so she could press her body closer to his.

Her hands slid down and to the front, where she quickly located the buttons of his jeans. She fumbled with the first button for all of two seconds before losing her patience and simply tearing them all off.

Growling deep in his throat, Stefan ripped into the fabric of her stretchy pants in return. Stretchy or not, they quickly gave way at this treatment. Her panties didn't withstand his impatience much longer. He threw the scrap of lace behind him and lifted her up, her back against the door.

As if he were a drowning man, his mouth trailed its way up to hers, and he stilled for a few seconds. Katherine's eyes were half closed by now, but she opened them when she felt him looking at her…

They gazed at each other for a timeless moment, and at exactly the same time, they closed the distance between their mouths and devoured each other in a kiss that they had both been waiting for for too long… nearly a century and a half …

Her fangs came down, and she leaned over towards Stefan suddenly, sinking her sharp vampire teeth into his neck, drinking him in. Stefan groaned her name, his eyes closing in ecstasy…

God, she had missed this! Katherine thought afterwards. Stefan had stumbled back, falling onto the bed, Katherine still clinging to him like a leech. His eyes were still closed, but Katherine was gazing at him in wonder. There was something to be said for doing this with someone you loved, she thought; especially when he loved you back… Because even though Stefan hadn't admitted it, Katherine was absolutely certain now. Stefan loved her too… and she'd always believed that true love isn't real unless it's returned…

In the sudden silence, there was a knock on the door…

In the meantime, downstairs…

At Damon's question, Elena felt fresh tears clogging up her throat. She swallowed them with difficulty, but still she wasn't sure how to answer Damon's question, because it had only been a kiss after all… but this one kiss meant so much more than a kiss…

It seemed to her a metaphor of her relationship with Stefan: Stefan's kisses were tender and loving, and she hadn't consciously known that something was missing! Only _now_ did she know that his kisses had lacked the fire and passion of this one kiss… But this one kiss had been meant for Katherine! What did that mean for her relationship with Stefan? Was her relationship with Stefan equally deficient?

Damon's kisses now…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump coming from somewhere upstairs.

Damon and Elena turned their heads towards the sound, listening intently, but Elena didn't hear anything else. She sniffed, and dashing her hand across her eyes, asked in an unsteady voice, "Damon, what was that? Is Stefan in the house?"

Just the thought that Stefan might be in the house made her feel slightly sick. She must have been more drunk than she'd thought! She and Damon were in the parlor where anybody could have just walked in! Imagine that Stefan had stumbled upon her and Damon while they were… her mind refused to fill in the rest.

Damon nodded, and said, still looking up, "Yes, Stefan is in his room. He must be redecorating by the sound of it …" Elena frowned at him, not quite understanding what he meant by that cryptic remark, but then, Elena didn't hear what Damon heard…

Another thump! All of a sudden Damon's eyes went a fraction wider, and he pressed his lips together. The sounds coming from upstairs suddenly made more sense and he wondered how his brother could be so unbelievably stupid. Thank god Elena couldn't hear anything! He quickly schooled his features so they wouldn't reveal his surprise and the anger he felt towards Stefan now…

Elena hadn't seen Damon's face change, because she had been staring into the fire, lost in thought. Suddenly she seemed to reach a decision. She wiped the drying tears from her eyes determinedly and said, "Damon, if Stefan's here, maybe I should go find him. He's been avoiding me and we really need to talk…" Now more than ever, she said to herself. Before I go ahead and really turn into Katherine…

Damon's eyes swiveled to her face, and just for a second, she thought she saw a flash of something… it couldn't be panic, surely?... in his eyes, before his expression turned completely blank and he said, "Do you really want to do that now? I don't think that's a good idea, Elena. You are not exactly sober… You might say something you'll regret! Don't you think you should at least wait until the drink wears off?"

"I don't know, Damon. I think I need the courage! Why not talk to him now? If he's in his room, at least he can't walk away from me as easily as he's been doing!" She stood, and pulling her camisole straight, resolutely took a step towards the stairs.

"And it might make me feel better if I can just apologize for doing what I did…" She mumbled to herself, but Damon's sensitive ears caught her words easily, and he thought furiously, 'If you go up there _now_, you're going to feel a whole lot worse! Damn you, Stefan!'

The swelling moans and groans he heard coming from upstairs were distracting him, but he knew he couldn't let Elena barge in there now. Even if it meant she would surely come running to him for good this time… So he moved to block her path, frantically trying to think of a way to stop her from going upstairs…

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**AN: So I hope the edited version didn't disturb anyone too much? Again, thank you so much, Shadowfaxangel, for helping me out here!**

**And for those of you who want to read the unabridged version, please check out the M-rated one-shot that's also called Infidelity, and let me know what you think! **

**I really appreciate the feedback!**


	13. The ugly truth

**AN: so writing this was harder than I anticipated because Damon wasn't cooperating at all! When I complained about his behavior to my beta, she suggested threatening him with having Caroline take over under the pretense of trying to talk to Stefan, because that would certainly throw him for a loop! So I tried. Only it had Damon in a sulk, so I had to ply him with copious amounts of booze before he would even think of helping me out here! So I hope you like it! And thanks for your advice, Shadowfaxangel!**

**This chapter picks up right after chapter 12 – infidelity, whether you read the M-rated version in the separately published chapter Infidelity or the T-rated version in the chapter before this one…**

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Elena put her foot on the first stair, fully intending to corner Stefan in his room, when Damon grabbed her arm, keeping her from going up. They both froze when they heard the front door opening...

The door swung open slowly, revealing… Caroline's blond curls! Thank God! Damon exhaled in relief. "Look, Elena, Barbie is here! Maybe she could give you a ride home?" He winced at the almost giddy tone he heard in his own voice.

Elena frowned at him suspiciously. Since when was Damon _glad_ to see Caroline?

She turned towards the door, missing the imploring look Damon gave Caroline over Elena's head. Caroline frowned at Damon, slightly raising her eyebrows. "Actually I came to see Stefan?" She said with a question in her voice, not sure what he wanted her to do, but shutting her mouth abruptly when Damon vigorously shook his head.

"Come back and see him _later_," Damon said, indicating to Caroline with a look and a lift of his eyebrows that she should be listening for the sounds from upstairs. "_Right now_, I think you should take Elena home. She's been acquainting herself a little too well with my liquor supply, and I don't think she should be driving."

Caroline couldn't help it; her eyes widened a fraction of a second when she picked up a particularly loud moan coming from upstairs. Quickly she looked at Elena, who seemed thankfully oblivious, and said, "Come on, Elena, I'm driving you home…"

Elena looked stubborn and opened her mouth to protest, having caught some of the enigmatic looks that had passed between Damon and Caroline. So Caroline said, improvising hastily, "I need to talk to you… about Matt!" She congratulated herself on thinking of such a plausible thing to say (besides, it was true: she could always use advice about Matt), and added, just to make it more convincing, "I could use some advice from my best friend… Please?"

Elena looked from Caroline to Damon. Something was definitely off here, but she knew it was pointless trying to go against these two, especially when they ganged up on her like this. They were never going to let her go upstairs and see Stefan. So she shrugged in surrender, and said, "Oh, well, I suppose I can talk to Stefan later. Maybe it _is_ better if I sober up a little bit first…"

Damon nodded a little too enthusiastically, and Elena frowned at him again and said, "But don't think I won't get to the bottom of this!" Damon didn't look cowed in the least, of course, so she added for good measure, "If I find you're hiding something from me again, I'm so gonna nail your ass!"

Damon smiled a slow and lazy smile, and purred, "Mmm, Elena. Who cares whether I'm hiding something? You can nail my ass anytime you want!"

Elena blushed and huffed, feigning to be offended at this prime example of one of Damon's typical insinuating wisecracks. But she bit back a tiny smile when she followed Caroline out.

The smile quickly fading from his face, Damon turned and walked back into the parlor. Dropping onto the couch, his eyes fell on Elena's half-empty glass on the side table. He picked it up and gazed at it pensively for a moment. When there was another crash from upstairs, he lifted the glass to his lips and gulped the contents down. Then he just sat staring at the empty glass, and waited…

* * *

When the knock sounded on the door, Stefan scrambled off the bed, pulling up his jeans hurriedly. He hadn't been listening for footsteps. In fact, he'd been totally out of it, so he didn't have a clue who the person at the door was going to be …

When Katherine didn't budge, he looked over at her and said incredulously, "Are you just going to stay there like _that_?" Katherine was lying on the bed not wearing a stitch apart from her shoes and her minuscule bra that was still fastened, but didn't cover much of anything since it was completely askew.

"And what do you suggest I wear?" Katherine smiled provocatively at Stefan and stayed put. "You should have thought of that before you tore the clothes off my body, hmm?" Stefan turned towards his closet to pull out one of his shirts for her to wear when the knock sounded again and the door was pushed open slowly.

Damon stood on the threshold with a mocking smile on his face. He took one step inside, his eyes scanning the room, stopping on the spider cracks in the wall where Stefan had hit it with his fist, and on the torn clothing strewn about the floor. Finally his gaze landed on Katherine reluctantly, as if she wasn't remotely interesting to look at… even though she was reclining on the bed as if posing for a playboy photo-shoot, her only concession to modesty having one leg slightly pulled up.

When Stefan threw the shirt at her, Damon smirked at him and said drily, "Well, dear brother, isn't that too little, too late, as they say? Tell you what… If I _do_ see anything of Katherine's that I haven't seen before, I'll throw a penny at it!"

Katherine glared at him but she didn't budge, and so he let his eyes brazenly travel over her supine body, musing, "I suppose I'm not gonna go broke that way since I've already seen all there is to see of her. As I'm sure you remember!" Stefan frowned in response.

When Katherine didn't make a move to put on the shirt, Damon drawled, "So, Kat, have you been a naughty girl then? Or should I congratulate you on the perfect execution of a brilliant strategy with a military precision that would do Julius Caesar proud?"

The irony in his voice wasn't lost on Katherine, who finally sat up and glowered at him. "Speaking of naughty girls, Damon, what are you doing here? I would have thought the entertainment downstairs was more to your liking…" She paused meaningfully, "Or is my little milksop doppelganger not quite as _good_ as me?"

Damon's mouth quirked up at one corner and he said sardonically, "As far as I'm concerned, Elena will always be _better_ than you've _ever_ been, Katherine. In every meaning of the word!"

Katherine pouted and said, "So you tested the goods then, before buying?"

Stefan scowled. He flashed up to Damon and asked belligerently, "What did you do to Elena, Damon?"

Damon threw his arms up in the air theatrically, and exclaimed, "God, Stefan, you're such a hypocrite! I suppose it will make you mad if I said that I didn't do anything you didn't do, but that's not saying much, is it? Since you pretty much _did it all_!"

Damon was now really pissed at his brother: how could he treat Elena so callously, adding insult to injury by not only kissing Katherine (or so he'd thought), but having sex with her as well! "What on earth were you _thinking_? Oh, that's right; you weren't! At least not with the head that's on your shoulders!"

Stefan hadn't heard anything beyond Damon's first comment. He saw red and made a fist to punch Damon, snarling, "So you slept with her!"

Damon easily blocked Stefan's punch with his hand, and said, "Not that I think it's any concern of yours anymore, but no, I actually didn't! And do you want to know why? Because I thought _you_ didn't deserve that! More fool me!"

Stefan colored slightly and said resentfully, "Where is Elena now? I suppose you've already told her about this?"

Damon shook his head in exasperation. Stefan could be such a dickhead at times! "I may be a fool, Stefan, but at least I'm not stupid! Elena is still upset over what happened yesterday, so I was hardly going to tell her that I could hear you two going at it hot and heavy, was I? She's gone home now. I tried to comfort her, but I don't think she's feeling much better. And she'll be feeling a lot _worse_ when this gets out!"

Well, that was true, but Damon wasn't about to tell Stefan that she'd been feeling just as much shame over her own behavior as she'd been upset about the kissing incident… Damon felt anger rise inside of him thinking about Elena's recent embarrassment, when her boyfriend apparently didn't feel any remorse at all!

"Oh, do they call it _comforting_ these days? I'll have to remember that, next time I'm caught with my pants down!" Katherine felt it necessary to put her penny in, but both brothers just ignored her.

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan and said, "You _are_ going to tell Elena about this, right? Because if you don't, I _will_ do it for you!"

Stefan snorted, "I don't doubt it, _brother_! You always were quite free with my secrets, so why should this time be any different? Especially since I played right into your hands, didn't I? This is exactly what you needed to get Elena to yourself!"

Damon lifted his eyebrows. "It's certainly true that I couldn't damage your relationship any more than you've already done yourself! But you're way behind the times, _brother_, if you still believe I would have to blacken your name in order to _get_ Elena, as you so eloquently put it. I'm sure Katherine will be happy to explain that to you, if you want."

Then he sighed and said more quietly, "I just think it would best if you told her about your faux pas yourself… At least that way, you might still be _friends_ afterwards… "

Stefan laughed bitterly, "Yes, and that way you don't get to be the bad guy, right, Damon?"

Damon shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm _always_ the bad guy in this equation, Stefan. I've gotten quite used to it. You, on the other hand, have always been the golden boy… You always had everything I ever wanted and _you just threw it away_!"

Damon turned around and headed for the door. Stefan's callous attitude really disgusted him at the moment, mostly because he knew how much this was going to hurt Elena when she found out. For himself… Well, it was almost funny how he couldn't care less about Katherine and his brother now... and he would have laughed too, if she hadn't caused him to waste nearly a 150 years of his life!

Stefan dropped to the bed after Damon left, his thoughts in turmoil. However angry he might be with Damon, he had to admit that his brother was probably right. By screwing Katherine, he had screwed up monumentally. The kiss might have been a mistake, but it was a mistake they could maybe have survived given time, especially since he hadn't _really_ kissed Katherine, but there was no way in hell Elena was ever going to forgive him for _this_. He didn't even deserve her forgiveness…

Katherine silently stood up from the bed and put on Stefan's shirt. She gathered the tatters of her clothes and silently left Stefan's room. She had done all she could do here… now it was just a matter of time…

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**AN: So, this was a hard one to write, like I said. I still hope you liked it though? **


	14. Repercussions

**AN:Um. I know that it's been *blushes profusely, hangs head in shame* a year since I updated this story. I guess I got way too sidetracked by my other story, Shadowdancing, to keep up with this one. Shadowdancing even got finished first... But I'm here to make amends... I finished Elena's Anger. Finally... **

**Thank you, Shadowfaxangel, for faithfully seeing this through with me!**

**And so, if any of you are actually still out there to read this... Enjoy!**

* * *

_Dear Diary, _

_Stefan is not talking to me. In fact, I can't even seem to find him. But we will have to talk, at one point or another. Things can't go on like this. I don't want to go on like this. He's definitely in denial, but I can relate to that. It seems I've been there, done that, too. _

_I've thought about it long and hard. I know I had to make a choice, because, as Damon told me, I'm not Katherine. And I'm finally beginning to believe it. It wouldn't be fair to either one of them, nor would it be fair to myself. _

_So, here's the thing. _

_Stefan always made me feel safe. He's my security blanket, just like Katherine said. The loss of my parents was still very new when I met Stefan. I needed his kind of safety, his brand of comfort. I wanted to be loved by someone who wouldn't leave me, someone who wouldn't die. It all happened so fast… maybe too fast? We met, we talked, it was epic. We skipped the part where we really got to know each other, where we became friends. Instead, we immediately (s)tumbled into love… _

_But this girl that fell in love with Stefan, the girl that Stefan fell in love with... She doesn't exist anymore…_

_Because we've changed. Both of us. _

_I think Stefan is finally coming to realize that he may have loved Katherine all along. And I think she loves him, although she does have a funny way of showing it... _

_And me... I guess I've realized that there are no safe places; there's no comfort in immortality as such. There's no guarantee that even an immortal lover might not leave me for someone else. That's life. And I've decided that I want to live my life to the fullest. Especially if it could all end tomorrow. What better reason is there to take what I want, and take it now? I want love, yes, but I want my love to burn. I want fire, passion, ecstasy. I want to really feel alive. _

_And that's where Damon comes in. I never feel more alive than when I'm with Damon. Ironic, isn't it? I know he'll always protect me, yet he doesn't make me feel 'safe' or 'comfortable'. You know what I mean. Damon is my friend and I trust him, but at the same time, he makes me nervous; he makes me tremble inside. He scares me, a little. The kind of scared that has everything to do with the fire, the passion, the ecstasy that I just know will be there between us. And I want them. I want to burn. I want to live. _

_But how do I tell them? _

* * *

Elena finally succeeded in cornering Stefan in his room two days later. He turned around quickly, his eyes darting to the door, as if he was thinking about escaping even now, so Elena ostentatiously closed the door and leaned her back to it, indicating he would have to physically remove her if he wanted to get out of that room.

Her irritation quickly faded when she considered what she had to tell him. For however much she did not want to hurt him, she was very much afraid that her words and her recent behavior would inevitably cause him pain. After all, this whole mess had been her fault to begin with. If she hadn't listened to Katherine… no! That wasn't fair and she no longer wanted to lie to herself: everything had started way before that, when she'd been so angry…

Stefan looked at Elena and wondered how he could have _ever_ mistaken her for Katherine… The way she stood there silently staring at him, pierced his unbeating heart. She looked so heartbreakingly beautiful. It was almost enough to make him reconsider what he had to tell her… But that was not an option. He needed to confess before Damon could spill the beans. Only now that he was face to face with her, he found the words would not come.

The silence between them seemed to stretch until Elena couldn't bear it anymore, and she blurted out, "Stefan, we need to talk!"

Stefan dropped onto the bed, leaning forward to put his elbows on his knees and hide his face in his hands so he wouldn't have to look at her. "Yes, Elena, I know. I was just not particularly looking forward to it..."

Elena could relate to that, but she wanted to get it over with. You couldn't just bury your head in the sand forever. Still, who was she to cast aspersions? Her head had been in the sand for a long time now…

"I came to apologize, Stefan," She said, shuffling her feet a bit. "It was a low blow, making you think I was Katherine…"

She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to fully explain herself, "I thought I had good reasons at the time, but now... I don't know what got into me."

Stefan said dejectedly, "It's okay, Elena. I know _she_ put you up to it." Some of the fire returned to his voice when he added, "What I didn't know was that you and Katherine were such BFF's that you had to take her advice as gospel… But it doesn't matter anymore anyway…"

Elena's eyes widened with the annoyance rising inside of her, undoing her efforts to stay calm, "It doesn't _matter_? How can it not matter? You'd never have kissed her if I hadn't tricked you. It was Katherine's idea, yes. I just never thought you'd fall for it, hook, line and sinker!"

"Oh, so now it's my fault I got caught in your stupid game?" Stefan was getting angry as well. "Right. I forgot. My brother wasn't fooled, of course! Let's talk about that, shall we? Before you make me out to be the bad guy here!"

"I'm not making you out to be the bad guy!" Elena shouted. "Maybe I went about it the wrong way, but some things just couldn't be denied any longer!"

"Like your attraction to Damon?" Stefan's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Tears stung in Elena's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Oh, Stefan. I'd been drinking too much, and Caroline said…"

"Oh, so you told Caroline as well? Why not broadcast it on the 6 o'clock news?"

Elena looked contrite. "I'm sorry, Stefan. I just had to talk to _someone_… and then she said I'd better make sure about Damon, because I thought Katherine had already slept with him, and…"

"Katherine doesn't _love_ Damon!" Stefan spat, rather viciously.

Elena stomped her foot, annoyed at him for always interrupting her as she was trying to explain. "I _know_. She loves _you_! She told me as much!"

Stefan had the grace to look embarrassed, but he mumbled anyway, "And you _believed_ her?"

Elena pursed her lips. "_No_. I thought she was still after both of you. And with Damon having spent all that time looking for her, I thought…"

Stefan interrupted her. "Damon again. What if he _did_ sleep with her?"

Elena fidgeted, not responding, and Stefan's eyes narrowed, "Why would you even care? That's the heart of the problem, isn't it? Or perhaps I should say, the problem of the heart…?"

Elena was silent, weighing her words. Then she bit the bullet. "Yes, Stefan. It's true. I've been trying very hard to fight it, but there's something… I feel something for Damon…"

"You love him." Stefan said, as if stating a fact.

"I don't _know_! It's just that I like being around him, and he makes me laugh, but he also makes me uncomfortable and kind of nervous…" She sighed. "And now, after everything that's happened… well, I would like to say you and I can just kiss and make up and forget all of this ever happened…" She averted her eyes and continued in a small voice, "… but I don't think I _can_! I don't think… I _want_ to, because..."

Stefan closed his eyes for a moment. There it was, the elephant in the room, massive and grey and not to be overlooked. She'd actually had the guts to go there. The rush of pain stabbing his heart made him realize that deep down he had still been harboring a tiny kernel of hope that they might have been able to overcome this, but her comment made it clear he had indeed lost her already. Perhaps he'd lost her some time ago…

He swallowed audibly and said, "You don't have to tell me more, Elena. I already know."

At Stefan's words, Elena's eyes flew to his face. Did he know what had happened with Damon? Or maybe Stefan wasn't even talking about her foolish drunken behavior two days ago? She asked carefully, "What do you mean?"

"Katherine told me what happened…" He saw in her eyes that she knew what he was talking about, so he continued, "But Elena, it _really_ doesn't matter anym…"

Elena blushed and interrupted him by exclaiming, "_Katherine_! I should have known! And again, how can it _not_ matter? I _cheated_ on you, Stefan!" She blushed redder, "Well, technically we didn't… you know… but I wanted to, and had Damon not stopped me when he did, I would have done it too!"

Stefan winced. Even though Katherine had told him that Elena had been the one to initiate the seduction, it was still difficult for him to hear it. He was so used to blaming everything on Damon… and now it seemed he really couldn't, by Elena's own admission.

Still, his own confession was about a hundred times worse! And he should get it over with instead of dawdling! He was no coward: if she could tell him this, then so could he (and otherwise Damon would tell her anyway)!

"It doesn't matter anymore, Elena, because…" He hesitated a fraction of a second before divulging his own secret, "You see, I cheated on you too."

Elena digested this and frowned, "I suppose we're not talking anymore about the kiss you gave _me_ when I was pretending to be Katherine?"

Stefan shook his head ruefully, "No, we're definitely not talking about that!" He hesitated, unsure what to tell her. "Katherine came to my room yesterday, and she started taunting me about you, well, about you and Damon and about what you were doing right then… and I lost it, Elena! I got so _angry_ with her!"

Elena looked confused, "You got angry?"

Stefan nodded, "Yes, I was angry because I… I was afraid you were falling for Damon. And it felt like you were slipping through my fingers, all because of Katherine's scheming! And you know how every emotion gets heightened when you're a vampire? I was so furious with her I could have killed her, but when she submitted… when she basically offered herself to me, I sort of lost control… I couldn't think beyond wanting her so badly… and we…" He trailed off, unable to continue.

Elena didn't need to hear anything else. In her mind's eye she saw herself and Damon in the parlor, hearing all kinds of strange noises… Suddenly she remembered wanting to go up to see Stefan, and Damon trying to stop her. Her eyes widened: Damon must have heard them! Had he known what they were doing? Probably... But why hadn't he told her?

She looked at Stefan with a frown. "Did Damon know about this?"

Stefan hesitated before answering reluctantly, honestly, "Yes. Don't blame him for not telling you, Elena. He insisted that I tell you myself, and he was right."

"Don't, Stefan. Don't sell your brother to me."

"I wasn't trying to. Why would I do that?" Stefan sounded bewildered and miserable.

Elena was silent, thinking. That was it then. They were over. History. And there wasn't even that much to feel guilty for after all, because as it turned out, they had both made the same mistake. Not that it was a mistake exactly, but… well.

She looked up to see Stefan staring at her, regret and sorrow darkening his moss-green eyes, and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Stefan. I know this isn't what you wanted. It's not how I wanted things to go either, but..." She hung her head.

"I know. Katherine proved to be my weakness, and Damon got under your skin," Stefan stated matter-of-factly.

She nodded, relieved that he seemed to understand. "Yes. He kind of snuck up on me, and I just can't seem to shake him."

Stefan looked away from her and said softly, "I get it, Elena. If you love someone, you can't shake them, no matter how hard you try."

Elena looked at him. He clearly wasn't just talking about Damon and her, for the sad look he gave her seemed to encompass so much more. First and foremost, there was regret about their own epic love that was supposed to last forever. Only, it had slowly turned to ashes in the heat of the fire between her and Damon. And then there were the fiery embers that were still smouldering between Stefan and Katherine, its flames banked but by no means extinguished, as it turned out...

"Oh, _Stefan_," Elena whispered. He looked so utterly lost right then that she took the two steps that separated them to wrap her arms around him, hugging him tight. Stefan's arms came around her as well, and they clung together like two people who were uncertain about what the future would have in store for them, where it had seemed almost written in stone before.

Stefan's lips brushed her ear when he said, "I don't want to fight with you, Elena. I never meant to hurt you like this…"

Tears were clouding Elena's vision when she looked up at him again, "Me neither. I'm so, _so_ sorry. I…"

She faltered, and Stefan swallowed hard at the sight of the wetness in Elena's eyes before answering regretfully, "Don't apologize, Elena. If it's real, you can't walk away. I know that better than anybody."

He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, using both of his thumbs. " And so does Damon, I imagine. I hope he makes you happy, Elena."

Elena looked over his shoulder, taking in the open suitcase and the pile of neatly folded clothes. He was leaving. She knew she had no right to beg him to stay, even if she would miss him dreadfully when he was gone. She was so used to his quiet, solid presence in her life that she couldn't imagine Mystic Falls without it. But she had no right to ask it of him. She could ask something else though.

"You will still be my friend, right?" Her voice was a mere whisper.

Stefan didn't answer immediately. When he turned his soulful emerald eyes back to her, they were suspiciously moist. "Always, Elena. Forever, if you want me to."

"I think I do," She smiled tremulously. "Be happy, Stefan."

Stefan smiled faintly and said, in a forced attempt at levity, "I swear, Elena, if that brother of mine doesn't make _you_ happy, I will come back to put a stake in him somewhere it _really_ _hurts_."

She laughed through her tears, rising up on tiptoe to give him a kiss on his cheek when they both heard a loud bang from the floor below. After a wide-eyed look at each other, both Elena and Stefan took off at a run, racing out of the room and down the stairs. Stefan was faster, already at the door to Damon's room and slamming it open, when Elena had just put a foot on the stairs.

She heard Stefan growl, "What's going on in here?" just as she hurried in after him and skidded to a halt right inside the door.

* * *

**AN: Well, I'm not entirely sure I succeeded in capturing the atmospere of this story after so long. I still hope you liked it though. Please drop me a little review to let me know what you thought?**

**One more chapter to go, I'd say. I promise I will not leave it so long this time ;) It's almost done...**


	15. The Upside of Anger

**AN: Okay, guys, I'm sorry about the delay on posting this... I wasn't entirely happy with this as the end of this story (still am not, to be honest), but I did promise you an update, and then fanfiction went all crazy on me. So, here it is, with a big hug to Shadowfaxangel for her help!**

**Final chapter... right before the season finale. How fitting ;) **

**Enjoy!**

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Damon walked out of his shower with waterdrops glistening wetly on his skin, only to find an unsmiling girl sitting demurely on his bed. She was barefoot, her arms hugging her legs and her hair a sleek curtain of dark brown silk cascading down her back. The glow of the bedside lamp cast her in shades of light and darkness, revealing that she was dressed in skintight jeans, a white camisole and a bottle-green cardigan.

He froze for a second, until she looked up, a pleased smile on her face. Tucking in the towel at his waist, he made his way to his closet, ignoring her eyes on his back.

When she didn't move, he murmured, as though talking to himself, "I really have to find that key. You just wouldn't believe the kind of trash the wind blows in with the door unlocked..."

The girl's face and demeanor changed in an instant. She sank back against his pillows, stretching languorously out on the bed, and pouted, "Oh, you're no fun. How did you know?"

Damon finally turned around and shot her a triumphant grin, "Now that would be telling, Kat. Let's just say that's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot..."

Katherine flipped her hair over her shoulder. She sounded annoyed. "My little doppelganger actually succeeded in taking all the play out of my favorite playboy? How _boring_!"

Damon sauntered to the door. Opening it, he motioned to the hallway, and said dryly, "Playtime's over, Kat. Just get out already. And stay out this time."

Katherine blatantly ignored Damon's not so subtle hint that he wanted her out of his room. She tilted her head and said sulkily, "What? I don't even get a thank you?"

Seeing that she didn't intend to budge, he sighed and closed the door again. He'd known it was a futile attempt anyway. Katherine would leave when she was good and ready, and not a second sooner.

He replied, "Why should I thank you? Not even _you _would thank a poisonous snake for biting."

"Ouch," she said very succinctly, sliding her legs off the bed and making a show of getting up, "I'd have thought you'd at least be grateful that I helped you get the girl!"

Damon lifted his eyebrows and drawled, "First of all, I haven't 'got the girl', if it's Elena you're talking about. Secondly, where did you get the silly notion that I'd need your help to get a girl anyway? I'm a big boy, Katherine."

Katherine swayed over to where he was standing, exaggerating the swing of her hips. She gave him a very thorough once-over, her voice a suggestive purr, "Mmm, I _know_ you're a _big_ boy, Damon…" Her hand trailed up his leg, brazenly caressing his thigh through the damp towel.

He swatted her hand away and smirked at her, "What's the matter, Katherine? Did little brother not satisfyyou? It sure didn't sound like that to me!"

Katherine chuckled and gave him a mock-reproachful glance, "Don't be smug, Damon! As for Stefan, you know I love it when he plays rough!" She smiled fondly even as her hand was sneaking out again, inching up to stroke his chest this time.

Damon pulled her hand away once more and asked in a long-suffering tone of voice, "So why are you here then? Don't tell me Stefan's not enough for you. Do you want me worshipping at your altar as well?"

Katherine batted her eyelashes at him, "Are you offering?"

Damon shook his head in exasperation, "God, Katherine, you're like a bitch in heat! Or scratch the last part: you're just a bitch. You're not doing this to Stefan. Again."

Katherine tilted her head, not really insulted. "Aww, Damon. You're looking out for Stefan. How very... big-brotherly of you."

Damon shrugged. "Nobody messes with my brother." Of course he had to immediately spoil the sentiment by adding snarkily, "Unless it's me, of course."

Katherine laughed as she put both hands to his chest to tease his bare skin with her fingers, making his abs flex in involuntary response. Delighted by his reaction, she said flippantly, "In that case, what do you say to just having some fun together, for old times' sake… Stefan and Elena need never know!"

This time he didn't bother to remove her hands. He merely looked down at her and said dispassionately, "You just don't do it for me anymore, Kitty Kat. You're about as irresistible as an expired bag of blood!"

Katherine frowned and pursed her lips at the cutting comparison. Then she walked around him, lightly running her nails along his bare back. She paused to lean closer to his ear and hissed, "Liar!"

Damon turned around and took a step back, dislodging her hands by his movement. He bared blunt teeth at her and scoffed, "Try me! Why are you so greedy anyway?" He made a waving motion with his hand, adding for good measure, "Shoo, Katherine! If you want to play, go find Stefan!"

Katherine shot him a baleful glare and complained, "Don't you think I've tried? He's been avoiding me ever since..."

Damon shrugged indifferently, "Well, that sucks."

She opened her mouth to retort, but he blithely went on, "Why don't you try a little abstinence? Might do you some good. Not to mention that not getting what you want for once could be a whole new learning curve for you. Personal growth and all that..."

She took a step closer to him again and looked up at him from underneath her lashes, "Personal growth is way overrated." Walking her fingers up his arm, she added, "You know, you're sexy as hell when you play hard to get…"

When she made to put her hands on him again, Damon had enough. He slammed her into the wall so hard the plaster cracked, his hand holding her by the throat as he growled menacingly, "Have you gone deaf in your old age, Katherine? I've told you that I'm done playing. This really is the last warning you'll get! Back. Off."

Katherine gasped when she hit the wall. Then her eyes started to sparkle and she teased, "You're saving yourself for your girl. That's so sweet... I sure hope Elena appreciates your efforts!"

Before Damon could respond, the door was kicked open, crashing into the wall with a bang as Stefan raced into the room, stopping abruptly when he noticed Katherine being pinned to the wall by his brother. He ground out, "What's going on?"

Elena ran in behind Stefan, freezing in her tracks right inside the door.

"Look who decided to join the party!" Katherine cooed despite the death grip Damon had on her throat. "What's the matter, _lover_? Trouble in paradise?"

Elena grimaced at Katherine's blatant flaunting of Stefan's faux pas. Damon didn't say anything; he just looked at Elena, eyes narrowing at her tear-streaked face.

"Katherine. Just shut up, will you?" Stefan snapped, making Damon smile slightly.

Katherine stopped smiling when Stefan ignored her and kept looking at Damon, "What are you doing, Damon?"

Damon pulled his hand back abruptly, letting go of Katherine as if she was suddenly too hot to handle. He took one look at Stefan's scowl and held up his hands, "Hey! Don't blame me! I was just trying to keep your lady-love from jumping my bones here!"

Stefan looked incredulous. "Why would she do that?"

Katherine smiled angelically and lifted an eyebrow to Damon as if daring him to answer.

"I do not presume to know why Katherine does what she does, baby bro," Damon replied tersely. "But if you don't want her straying, I suggest you keep her on a shorter leash."

Stefan sighed. "She isn't mine to keep, Damon."

"You sure?" Damon mumbled under his breath, earning himself a glare from his brother.

Only then did Stefan look at Katherine, who was massaging her neck where Damon's fingerprints were already fading away. He sighed and asked resignedly, "What is it with you? Why do you always want what you can't have?"

Katherine looked stunned for a second. Then she smiled playfully at Stefan, "Who says I can't have Damon? I wasn't aware that he was _off limits_..."

Stefan pursed his lips. In a flash he was standing before her, pressing her back against the wall with a snarl, "I thought it was _me_ you wanted?"

Katherine's eyes showed a spark of surprise, and her reply came out uncharacteristically soft, "I _do_ want you, Stefan. I must have told you a thousand times already that I came back for you." She leaned into him, trying to snake her hands around his waist.

Stefan didn't give in that easily. His voice sounded cool when he asked, "Then why were you seducing my brother?"

"Was not." Katherine pouted, looking up at him.

"Were too," Stefan replied matter-of-factly, pulling her hands away from his waist and pinning them against the wall. She was stronger than he was, so she could break free any time she wanted, but when she didn't, Stefan went on, "I know you, Katherine. I want you to tell me you'll not be playing both sides again. Because if you do, this is the last you'll ever see of me. And don't think I don't mean it!"

"Mmm, _Stefan_. When did you get so forceful and manly and strong?" He gave her a stern look, and she relented, huffily reassuring him, "Oh, don't _worry_. I love _you_, Stefan! It was always you. You know that." She muttered, "Honestly, I was just bored, waiting for you to finally make up your mind."

"Lose my mind, you mean," Stefan mumbled sarcastically, and Katherine just looked at him, waiting.

Stefan seemed to make up his mind suddenly. "Okay, Katherine. Here's the deal. You promise to lay off my brother and Elena..."

"Done!" Katherine said quickly, and added with a sly look at Elena, "It might put your mind at ease to know that Damon's no longer interested in me anyway. I know; it's boggled my mind too, but he only has eyes for the watered down version..."

Stefan winced slightly at Katherine's words, but he purposely avoided looking at Elena. "Okay, Katherine. Let's just skip the theatrics. I'll agree to come with you wherever you want, as long as it's somewhere other than Mystic Falls..."

Stefan released her hands, and Katherine immediately wrapped them around his neck, lips curving into a genuine smile. "Oh, who wants to live on the hellmouth when we could have Paris? You won't regret it, my love. Here's to our future!" She pulled his head down for a kiss.

Damon was staring hard at Elena, hope kindling in his eyes at Stefan's words. When she blushed and averted her eyes, he cast an impatient glance at Stefan and Katherine, who seemed to have forgotten all about their unwilling audience.

It made him say briskly, "Now, Steffy, it's not that I'm not grateful to you for taking Katherine off my hands, but I'd appreciate you even more if you two lovebirds could find somewhere else to have your happy reunion." He made a wry gesture at the towel draped around his hips. "I'd like to get dressed sometime today."

Stefan pulled away from Katherine hurriedly, a sheepish look flashing across his features.

"I'm sure Elena doesn't mind talking to you in the buff, Damon," Katherine couldn't resist the teasing barb. "In fact, I always thought..."

Stefan interrupted Katherine by towing her out of the room by one hand. "They don't care what you think, Katherine, and frankly, neither do I. Let's just get out of here. I'm sure we can find somewhere else to talk."

He gave Elena an unreadable look when they walked out, with Katherine protesting laughingly, "Are you sure all you want to do is _talk_, lover?"

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Damon and Elena staring at each other across the room, silence stretching out between them. Now that they were alone, Elena felt suddenly shy in a way that she'd never been around Damon before, her eyes darting away from him, landing everywhere to avoid having to look at the wide expanse of his bare chest with its well defined muscles that made her want to trace her fingers over them, or at the tempting curve of the lips she dreamed nightly of kissing (were they as soft as she remembered?), or, heaven help her, to lose herself in the quicksilvery depths of his penetrating blue gaze that could see all the way to her very soul.

Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when Damon's voice broke the tense silence, "Huh. Colour me surprised. I can honestly say I didn't see that one coming... But I should have known that my brother would find a way to out-hero his heroic side."

Elena didn't say anything, and Damon wondered what she was thinking. Her tears had dried, but he couldn't for the life of him read her expression. He closed the distance between them, raising her head with one finger under her chin so he could catch her gaze. "Hey. Elena. I'm sorry. I know you must be hurting right now... but if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. We can talk some other time."

Elena blinked. She said musingly, "It's strange, you know? Stefan's leaving. He was supposed to be the love of my life... But this hurts less than I thought. Less than it should, anyway. I guess that tells me all I needed to know, if I'd still had any doubts. Which I don't. I mean didn't. I mean..."

She looked at him, confusion clouding her gaze, "I'm sorry. I'm no good at this..."

"Yet you're making a strange kind of sense, because that's exactly what I feel about Katherine right now." Damon paused, searching her face. "So. You and Stefan are parting ways then?"

Elena nodded, biting her lip. "Yes. I hate that Katherine was right, but... he does still feel something for her. He's just been in denial about his true feelings…" She fell silent, looking up at him a bit shyly, and whispered, "Just like me… I have feelings for someone else too."

Damon's eyes were suddenly alight with hope, but he played it cool, "Oh? Someone I know?"

"Yes," Elena croaked. Her heart was hammering out of her chest, and she had to swallow twice to get past the egg-sized lump in her throat before she could say anything more. A blush rose in her cheeks, but she finally bit the bullet. "I think… I think I'm in love with you, Damon Salvatore." She hated that she sounded so insecure, but she'd been so quick to tell Stefan, and look how that had turned out...

Damon didn't seem to mind. His hands came up to frame her face, his thumb grazing her plump bottom lip in an infinitely tender gesture. His blue eyes were clear and cloudless when he said the words he'd never thought to hear himself utter again, "And I love you, Elena Gilbert."

She didn't know who made the first move, but suddenly all the air between them was gone, and their lips met in a sweet, unhurried, magical kiss that made her toes curl with the rightness of it. All too soon the kiss spun out of control, growing more urgent as the flames of their passion leaped higher. Elena's body started tingling, tiny pinpricks of heat running under her skin, making her squirm. She pressed herself closer to Damon's half-naked body, enjoying the feeling of the rippling muscles beneath her fingertips.

Damon's head was spinning; he was finding it hard to believe she was actually right there in his arms. Elena. The sweet taste of her invaded his senses until there was nothing but her. When she sighed into his mouth, he pulled back slightly to look at her, his eyes dark with desire. "Is this your way of telling me you don't want me to get dressed, Elena?"

She hesitated, cheeks turning red. Everything was going so fast all of a sudden. She had the feeling she was sitting blindfolded in a rollercoaster, not knowing up from down. She knew she wanted Damon, but she'd only just broken up with Stefan, and to immediately jump into Damon's bed seemed wrong somehow.

Damon sensed her unease. He tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear and said, "If you don't want to take this all the way yet, just say so, Elena."

She nodded slowly and looked up at him beseechingly. "I just need some time, Damon. Could we just... Would you be okay with taking this slow?"

Why was she nervous? Did she actually think he'd say no to that? Did she think he'd screw this up by pushing her into a physical relationship too quickly? He'd been waiting for her for over a year, for heaven's sake. He said, "Yes, Elena. Really, it's okay. We'll take it slow. What you said is already so much more than I ever expected to hear from you. God knows it's more than I deserve."

When she opened her mouth, he pressed a finger to her lips, keeping her from speaking. "Shh. Take all the time you need. I'm not getting any older, so a little waiting isn't going to kill me..." He flashed her a mischievous grin to show her that he knew it was a terrible joke, but at least it brought a smile to her lips. A teasing note crept into his voice, and he wiggled his eyebrows. "Although I can't promise you that I won't try to speed things up."

The tension had dissipated, and she laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you, Damon."

He gave her his trademark lopsided smile in return. "Perhaps we could beat Katherine and Stefan to Paris? What do you say to moonlit strolls and stargazing in the city of love? I'm sure the romantic atmosphere will have you swooning in my arms in no time…"

"And I'm sure you don't need Paris to manage that," Elena quipped, but then she turned thoughtful again. There was one thing she still needed to know. "You don't mind then? About Stefan and Katherine, I mean."

"Do you?" Damon asked.

Elena shook her head, reassuring him. "No. I don't. Stefan will always be in my heart, but he's not for me. I want him to be happy, even if it's with Katherine... What about you?"

Damon frowned, his thumbs stroking her jaw, "No. I can't delete Katherine from my past, Elena, but I sure as hell don't want her in my future!"

"Yes, but..." Elena hesitated, biting her lip, "She's been the love of your life for so long, and you wanted to turn for her, and... and... _we look exactly alike_!"

Damon rolled his eyes and tugged gently at her hair as he said, "Listen to me, Elena. You may_ look _alike, but that doesn't mean that you _are_. You're not Katherine. You could never _be_ Katherine. _You_ actually made a choice." He pressed a little kiss to the tip of her nose. "And you've got much better taste. You chose me."

Elena ignored his attempt at light-heartedness. "But she was here just now..."

"Yeah. She was up to her old tricks, but she doesn't fool me anymore." He sounded so boyishly proud of himself that Elena's lips twitched, but Damon was utterly serious. "I'll always _know _you, Elena. And I'll always choose _you_. Not her. Never again."

Elena smiled, and Damon decided they'd had enough heavy conversation for one night, "Okay, now that we've gotten the awkward exes conversation out of the way, where do we go from here?"

Elena hesitated; then she stepped closer to him, raising her arms and hooking them around his neck. Blushing with her own forwardness, she whispered, "I don't want to _go_ anywhere. I'm right where I want to be..."

Damon's arms came around her, and she snuggled into him happily, burying her nose in the hollow between his neck and his shoulder. His skin was soft, like velvet. She sighed, inhaling his scent. He smelled so good, like some kind of expensive masculine bodywash and the elusive essence that was Damon alone...

Damon tucked his nose in her hair, closing his eyes for a moment as he contemplated how unlikely things had turned out. Who'd have thought Elena impersonating Katherine would lead to this? Not wanting to ruin the moment with thoughts of Katherine, he bent his head to press a kiss on top of her head.

Elena responded by pushing herself a little closer, her warm body moving restlessly against him, her hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of his throat.

A ghost of a smile on his lips, Damon breathed, "Elena?"

Elena was busy nuzzling his ear. She murmured distractedly, "Hmm?"

"You're sure you want to take this slow, right?" His voice was a low purr.

She didn't answer immediately. Cheeks burning, she whispered against his skin, "Yes, please."

Damon said quietly, "In that case, I feel like I should give you fair warning."

That got her attention. She pulled her face back to look up at him, "Oh? Why?"

Damon's smile turned wolfish. "My towel is slipping..."

THE END

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**AN: I really really hope you guys liked it. I'm glad I finally got to finish this story. It's been a long time in coming, and I thank you for sticking with me! You know your reviews make my day, anyday :) They make me want to do a happy dance and sometimes I reread them, just to feed the muse... so I'd love to know if you liked it...**


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